


Calling the Shots

by Helicase



Category: Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-06
Updated: 2013-11-14
Packaged: 2017-12-31 15:33:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 52,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helicase/pseuds/Helicase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, one loses control of the dream, right before they are able to bring it into fruition. The dream becomes so dreadfully immense, that it completely devours the dreamer.<br/>'It's almost as if... As if he lost his mind at the end.'<br/>"I'm not the one calling the shots anymore..."<br/>"Then who is-?"<br/>"Fall? For Him? He means Nothing."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Just Wanted You To Know

Noise, hanging in the air by a quivering thread, unpleasant and shimmering... Teeth are grit, and ground under pressure. At this point, I cannot tell if the sensation is mine, or a representation of the air tonight. Danger, whisking, ripping, biting. Others can feel it too -only in a dulled manner- but they simply pull their trench-coats protectively about them to protect their bodies from the devouring cold with a sense of pilgrimage, whirling about like dancing petals in the wind. Going Home.   
The sensation that could be described as simple hurt -no less powerful as the most complicated knot of emotion- tearing at the edges of my being are staved off, just barely. Home. Had I forgotten the meaning of the word? Home is where the heart is, they say. I chuckle, raspy, under my breath. The cold night air assaults my throat as the sound escapes, a thousand whirling blades into my trachea. I swallow. I used to think of Lumiose as being beautiful- tiny warm Cafe's tucked snugly in nooks at every turn, brightly lit boulevards, people busying about their lives with their blessed pokemon at their sides- all watched over by the slumbering and radiant giant- Prism Tower.  
That is what had drawn me to this town, the warmth, the youth.  
But now, I taste a different feeling in the chilly air. The taste was beyond the smell of burning leaves from outside of town, beyond the earthy tones of shed foliage and spicy winter fruit just budding, and beyond even the typical smell of the various Cafe's; a pain roaring over the too-chilly wind tearing through the lab-coat I had not even shed for the evening or covered up with something warmer.  
I stand here, in the middle of the southern boulevard, my lab looming behind me- a behemoth of brick and mortar. Unable to take any rolling step forward towards a warmer place to spend my evening. Unable to go back inside the lab I'd locked up for the night. Unable to busy myself from my thoughts. Frozen, with some strange feeling of dread that gnaws. Everything is so simple, but complicated by the overwhelming feeling that a storm was coming. A blizzard of unsurmountable proportions, a hurricane that I could definitely dispel with one deft blow...  
But I cannot bring myself to accomplish this. I have felt it coming for a long while, but there comes a point in one's life, where to continue forward is a possible death folly, and to step back is too painful to survive. I was unsure when the inevitable would eventually occur, but about this time last year, I felt the onslaught of the leading winds. That was when I sent for the five new children. I had been setting forth the dominoes, so to speak, for a while, just in case they were needed. All of the pieces were there, but... I needed a barrier strong enough to withstand the initial blow, and a driving force to drown the flames of the aftermath.  
Now, now... I wonder how the children are doing on their travels; where the five are, my precious students, the ones that will be able to do what I am too weak to do. My main hopes reside in Calem and Serena, but the others are very needed as support. To thicken the bond between the two, mortar to the bricks. If anything had happened to any of them-  
The thought is too painful. They are so young... I was still under the impression that I was The One at the time, the person that would master Mega Evolution. I cannot smile back fondly on that, at least not now. I shove the thought from my mind with quickly weakening inhibition. My logic centers scream at me that I could never be too sure that this was happening, that I don't really know. Nothing has tipped me off. However, my heart twists into a knot in my chest- Angina. I swallow, soothing the daggers of pain from the cold in my throat, but nothing lessens the dull pain in my chest.  
Yes. It's happening. My guess is tomorrow evening. I know him enough to know that he is fond of evenings, and dislikes the cold. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer, the cold front is supposed to stave off- the Castforms had shown so in the forecast earlier in the day. The last warm snap before winter would strike the killing blow to the autumn season, and take the throne. How befitting, the moment of usurping would occur during a time of upheaval.  
I do not plan on telling the Five my thoughts. It is crucial that they find out on their own. Not only that, but I know that he probably guesses that the Five are my security blanket for the onslaught, and it's better if he is sure that they don't know about his plan until the time comes. I have been sending smaller messages to The Five lately, little conversations with a Professor's wisdom about their journeys. Nothing to tip him off, purposeful normality- he probably knows that I know, anyway. We were always connected, and if one of us has information, both of us do.  
By now, the street is as calm as it can get in the evenings, most of the denizens have reached their destinations. I am aware of being watched, acutely. I cast my gaze over a few of the Cafe's across the way, allowing a warm puff of breath to mist in the air. I can not help but follow the stream of it with my eyes. Slight things have always struck me, fleeting things are teasing. A Team Flare member leaves the Cafe' across the street.  
Lysandre's Cafe.  
 I found it interesting that it was just right across the way there, so easily located and visited. I can remember a time when it made me uncomfortable, a little too blatant, crimson playing passion on the walls, that scarlet color that trimmed everything. The color made me tremble with some sort of primal fear, it was dangerous. However, the food was nice, and the drinks magnificent.  
"Magnifique." My own voice shocks me, my eyes widening, breath catching in my chest. Something about it is not me- perhaps the tone? I seem... Tired. Older. I linger on this thought for a few moments. Then, a cold chill runs over my body, making hair stand on end in a wave. I am stark in silence, my lab coat drawn to me protectively.  
"Magnificent indeed." His voice is deep, hollow. There is no feeling there, and that is not something I am used to from that voice. I can feel eyes burrowing into me. I could not hear him walk up over the wind, which is strange, because I can feel his breathing at my core as if it were my own. I am vaguely aware of my fear, but now, I am simply lost. As I always was around him. My pulse flutters, and I get the distinct feeling that a fawn feels as it is being watched by a leisurely lion, or a rabbit as it is being hunted by a merciless hawk.  
However, I am not a rabbit, nor a fawn. I may not be a burning red, but the depth of my blue could smother anything. I steel my resolve, and feel his warmth shift beside me. He could feel me tense, and I could feel him lose some of his own resolve- melting. The air was awkwardly still, suddenly, and my throat was parched. I would not allow myself to swallow, however, lest I lose my resolve.  
My mind touches on the fear that the secret will never come out. Well, I'd dropped enough of a hint that day in the Cafe' to prepare Serena and Calem for what needed to be done... But no more than that. Some day, when they are older perhaps, after the deed is done... Maybe then I'll tell them. For now, intense shame keeps me from mentioning it, and it may be inappropriate given their ages... But they do deserve to know that they were being manipulated to accomplish far more than I can dream of accomplishing on my best days.  
Maybe they will understand, understand what it feels like. Or maybe they will lose all respect for me, if they ever had any in the first place.  
And I do not have best days anymore. Or even good days. Sometimes... Sometimes I have decent days. Soon, I would not even have that. Just endless, endless wistfulness. One way or another, no matter how it turns out.  
I suck in a breath, but he speaks-  
"Profes-" He stops, and changes the tone from formal to a more smoldering tone. "Augustine."  
 I turn to him, but do not lock eyes. I look past him, under his arm, down the street to watch an espurr play with a little girl in the street. The sweet little girl wore a light pink dress, contrasting her skin of chocolate, cutesy, with a bright yellow bow. The espurr jumped at the tails of the ribbon behind tied behind the girl's back, and the girl laughed melodically, making my chest hurt worse. Her voice rode the wind as it swept by, nearly brushing her little pastel cap from her dark brown hair. She reaches up, and pulls it down over her cold-reddened ears, and then races down the street further from where I stand, the espurr tailing her. Her innocence was in direct contrast to the dark and fiery man beside me, and that made it difficult to keep myself from looking him in the eye.  
I had always planned to have children one day, but that was not how it worked out. I noticed a few years ago that it never would. I'd send them on their pokemon journeys instead. Children were to be cherished, protected. I am sure that he would sneer at my thought, inwardly, but he'd never show it.  
 Finally, I do look him in the eye. Hers had been an almond brown, but his were the familiar steel-y blue gray that I'd come to know. A deep contrast to the fiery tones he associates himself with. I'd always thought that some other color would befit of him better, but I am sure he would have none of it, and that wasn't what mattered to me about him anyway. I could feel the understanding pass between us, the understanding that I'd been attempting to keep from occurring. However, it was old news to both of us. The girl was gone now. There was nothing down the suddenly very empty boulevard to keep my mind off of the growing awkwardness between us. It'd always been so bright and warm, but suddenly, it was cold and dark between us. The wind whipped between the my lab coat and the fabric of his clothing. I blinked as my hair swept across my face, messily.  
 "Lysandre..." My voice cracks, and I am shocked by my weariness. I'd been slowly growing just a tiny bit weaker every day over the past year, but now, it drapes over me like a tablecloth. Too many sleepless nights of worry, and the distance between the lab and the cafe' daunted me for the past month. Lysandre had sacrificed himself to his work, one last try at untying the impossible knot.  
We stand, and suddenly, he takes me by the hand. A gentle gesture I haven't received in a while. I was unsure at first whether I should dart away from the touch and bolt, or whether I wanted to be touched. I decided on the latter instantly, falling back into my old role, knowing that I had not the reserve to argue in the cold.  
He whispers, suddenly, despite there being no one on the street, even as the howling wind screams in my ear. However, I would have known what he was saying even if I hadn't heard him. I can read his face now, despite his usual stern look.  
"Come with me."  
The words are a beacon to a boat, a street lamp to a venonat, or even a hearth to the lost. Suddenly, what Lysandre is planning to do slips in importance from tantamount to nothingness. I am lead eagerly, and he is nearly too fast for me at this pace, as if he is afraid of being caught. That frightens me, slightly, so I speed up as well. It occurs to me that I have no idea where I am being lead, perhaps as a sheep to the slaughter. I don't really care right now either. If I have to die, I prefer for it to be by Lysandre's hand anyway. This realization should bother me more than it does, but it doesn't. I am sure that the Five can and will stop Lysandre without me. I'm not normally so fatalistic, but right now, I am merely dreading what is to come, and some sick part of me wishes that I won't have to go through it.  
Then, who would be there for the children after everything?  
I had figured he would take me to the his Cafe', but instead, we are going somewhere that I have never been to, a part of Luminose that I had not even been aware of existing. It must have escaped my notice, which is striking, because I have lived here for quite a few years now. I don't have the heart to ask anything, because as soon as we round a corner, Lysandre turn his gaze back to me, and suddenly the pain in my chest melts into bliss. "You have no idea where we are, do you?"  
I gingerly shake my head, and tear my eyes away from him to look around. Some sort of alley-way, out of the way, just wide enough for Lysandre to walk through without brushing his shoulders against the brick walls of the two buildings lining it. It is oddly clean, quiet, and warm. The alley seems to end at a dead end. Knowing Lysandre, however, I am sure that it does not. He lets go of my hand, and I don't even consider bolting, but I do notice that I didn't consider it. It isn't an option anymore. The stubble on my the sides of my cheeks stops standing, slicking back down. Fear and cold melt away. Now, it is just resignation.  
He gives me a look that tells me all I feel that I need to know. However, here in the quiet alley, he adds gentle sentence to make sure that the point gets across. "I don't take people here..." He walks down the alley way, and past where it seems to end. I follow, with more trust than I have ever given anyone before. We turn, and I see a low-key door, painted a dusty mauve color. I close my eyes, and he finishes his sentence, "This is where I live."  
The significance of this was striking, like being slapped. My eyes are suddenly wide. We'd always been at either the cafe' or my lab if we were in town... I had honestly believed that he had lived somewhere outside of town, and stayed the night in the back of the Cafe' when he has to work late. But, no... He has a... A Home. Right under my nose the whole time. I looked at him, feeling a slight bit of betrayal. Which is ironic, seeing as I did not feel any sense of betrayal from what he was planning to do tomorrow. Why had I never been shown his home?  
He senses my feelings, and doesn't try to touch me to lead me. He speaks, softly. Uncharacteristic of him. "Augustine... I wanted you to know."  
I don't say anything. I just lock eyes with him, and he steps forward, pushing his right ring finger to a panel against the door, and then sliding a red card into it. I'd seen him carry this card before, but I'd figured it was his access card to get into his establishment, I had no idea it was to his home. I shuffle my feet a bit as he opens the door, which doesn't creak despite it's homey appearance. He seems a little hesitant to let me in, but he wouldn't seem that way to any one else. His face was a mask of pure pride as he whirled in a tight circle. I step through the doorway, the last of my fear left at the door. The door closes behind me with a metallic 'snick'. I shudder, but not because I am afraid of whatever he has in store. It is because I know this will probably be the last night he'll probably ever spend with me.  
I feel guilty suddenly, and it weighs me down. However, I smile warmly, and allow myself to be amused by his tastes. Always, always with the red! However, there was less crimson here than in his cafe, less maroon. Scarlet covered the walls, the tiles were a red-orange, the color of a ripe tomato. I could see that the tiles end, further into the nook, and a large-pile carpet begins, shimmering and soft, a fire-y tone of red that burned my irises. I had expected this- it was his favorite color, after all. The color of passion. Though the colors were grand and extravagant, I could see the little toned down things that he collected- meaningless trifles to anyone else, worth no money. These where the things that drew me to him. He was not a shallow man- as many seem to see him. He was not a ruthless leader, as that Team he has amassed sees him.  
He is sentimental. Though he derides the notion of sentimentality.  
He is caring. Even about people that don't deserve it in the slightest.  
He wants to help everyone. Even at the cost of himself.  
He is a good man. This breaks me to my core.  
He simply HAS to help everyone, and it busts me to bits. He outstretches his means, overworks himself into the dust, and helps people realize their true potential. I've steadily watched him lose interest in everything he loved before he took on the impossible task. I've watched him lose himself, and he rarely surfaces. However, when he does...  
I trail off the thought, slipping off my shoes by the door. He busts into a wide grin -an intense flame- now that we are alone. I can see him shrugging off some demon that plagued him as we stood outside. "Augustine Sycamore. Are you still wearing those socks?" His voice is music to my ears. My Lysandre was there, now. Surfaced from the unending sea in his mind. I glance down at my scarlet socks, and smirk. They never match anything I wear. But, they do amuse Lysandre, and that was a plus.  
"Bien sûr! They are your color, after all." I step a slow step forward. Suddenly, I have no struggle putting on a grin, and the warmest laughter I've had in a while escaped me.  
Possibly... Possibly this was going to be one last Good Day, before the charade would inevitably end.  
However, I felt that wave of coldness again, even in his over-warm home. I knew that we were not here simply because he thought it would be nice to finally let me in the deepest place he could. I knew that the timing was the whole story. But, I can lie to myself, if not just for a few more moments. I crave what we had before Team Flare's formation, and I cannot deny myself that if it is given. Flesh is weak. Even I know that. The soul can take a lot of a beating, but is even more brittle. One decent snap and the soul is irreparable. Flesh can heal.  
I step onto the carpet, feeling the pile through those socks that amuse him so much.  
  


\-----------------------

  
 I watch Augustine smile gloriously, and he laughs, and it's a tone lightens my heart. I savor this, it has been so long since I have seen him laugh like that. I melt within, and force myself not to take a step back. I feel... vulnerable. Suddenly, I have no idea what I was thinking, bringing him in here.   
 He was always the less melancholy out of the two of us. I craved that supreme happiness, the calm, the knowing. I am an insecure person, nervous at the core, but outward I was powerful and in control. On the other hand, Augustine Sycamore is a beautiful person, intelligent, aware of his faults, courteous, kind... I am entirely undeserving of such a person's attention.  
Of course, I'd reckon he is also very attractive, aesthetically as well. In fact, I am more sure that he thinks that when I tell him he is beautiful, that I am complimenting his looks. Of course, he is used to that sort of compliment by now. Half of the people that live around this city cannot help but to allow their devious gazes to linger upon his form. Part of me always worried that he would wizen up and be rid of me. He could do infinitely better than me. However, I am a selfish person at heart, or I would have already just let him go. It would be much kinder than the hand I must reveal soon.  
Even now, I cannot help but hope that he realizes that it is his loving nature, and his goodwill that I have been complimenting. I do not wish to come across as shallow, specifically not to him. I sneer at this thought inwardly. Some part of my merciful nature still rears it's head to me. I have to get that out tonight- the last little bit, because tomorrow there will have to be nothing but ruthlessness. Because it has to stop.  
I have to force the dreadful emotion that came after that away with a mental rant.  
 People are born beautiful, untarnished, unfettered, and willing to learn. As people grow older, more evil reveals itself to them. They become shackled with fears and weariness. They lose their kind-heartedness, their goodwill. They lose their desire to share, and instead take so that they can survive, leading others to fall due to their greed. The winners climb to the top of the heap of death with their spoils, and the losers foul the land. Simply because people cannot share. They create evil, and it worsens the problem tenfold.  
Trust me when I mention this- I have come to know it firsthand. Youth is beautiful, rare, and fleeting. As soon as anyone begins see the evil, they are already ruined. No matter how much someone throws them-self against the unending wave, they will never stop the evil. In fact, equal evil must be done to face evil. The forces must cancel, this has been shown time and time again. There will always be evil, and it keeps getting worse. The tsunami is coming to shore. I fear that all the good people in the world are in this room, right now.  
I watch him as he stands there, taking in my quarters. I wonder faintly if the smaller size of the place interests him. Most of the things about me are fairly extravagant. This place is not. This place is small, cozy- Safe. Filled with things I could not allow myself to get rid of, things that shame me. It is only fitting that Augustine is here now, too. I feel ashamed never to have brought him here. However, I had to be absolutely sure...  
I am still no more sure than I was when we began. That is a terrible thing to know.  
Maybe, maybe it's just me. Always the person other people could trust, but never really trusting in the goodness of others.  
 Well... Even now- I guess no one can trust me now. I am ashamed, and I hate being shamed. However, everything has been set into motion already. There is no turning back now. I've made a promise, and there is nothing that could happen to fix that. I can remember another promise I made, though. I swallow, happy that my beard and cravat hide my Adam's apple- that would be a sign of weakness...   
 I cannot afford to show my emotions now. Too much is riding on my strength.  
 I can see Augustine step forward, and my attention falls to his neckline, and his shoulders rising and falling... A bit shallow. I sigh, slightly, imperceptibly- I hope. I wished I'd be able to keep myself under the illusion for a little bit longer, but there is no hiding that I know he knows. I teeter between addressing the issue right now, and spending my last few free moments making him happy. That was an important factor of this. Making him happy. I need him to be happy, I need him to be content, I NEED that. Lately, I'd fallen behind on that crucial detail- drinking in his happiness, feeling like I have done something worthwhile... Because I have been busy with other things- trying far too hard to finish the preparations for making this world beautiful...  
Forever.  
This is my last chance, my wild card. This final development in my work. I cannot shoulder the burden of fixing the world any longer, not even with the memory Augustine's smile urging me on. Trying is breaking me, and soon, I won't be any good to anyone. Not even to Augustine Sycamore- which was currently the only thing keeping me from throwing the whole idea and disappearing. At this point, even my passion is burned out. Too little kindling, too much energy spent. I'm not a young man anymore.  
I decide, casting my gaze around the room, and reach towards him ever so slightly, feigning the amusement over the socks that had disappeared as soon as it had started. He flinches, and I pretend not to notice. Then he takes my hand, and his breathing slows. My heart nearly stops, and then beats faster than I thought possible. He's given me lots of reactions before, and it isn't like this one is a new feeling, but there is something different about this. Am I going insane?  
This thought makes me swallow again.  
There are not a lot of pleasures that I feel the need for in my life, and there are even fewer that I actually allow myself. Most of them are given up to help others, or as, should I say- punishment. My parents weren't bad off financially, and of course, this presented a commonwealth of issues. Of course, the amount I was ceremoniously thrust upon with went to financing the Holo-Casters, and opening the little Cafe'... The one luxury I truly allowed myself. It gave people jobs, it made me happier than nearly anything else in my life, allowed Augustine and I to meet... In the beginning, the cafe' wasn't even going to cover the secret lab. No- that was a later development, when everything started spinning out of hand.  
However, there was another luxury I allowed myself, one that I didn't want for any selfish reason, or really want at all. No- this was completely for Augustine, the one rare person that I'd give nearly anything for. And now... Now I have approximately four hours to spend with him before I'd have to... To...  
I lead him further into my home, closer towards the heart of the establishment, where we would be safe, where evil didn't exist, and where I could pretend that I wasn't about to use a death machine to destroy quite literally every flesh and blood thing I had ever cared about. I was a martyr for a cause, and that... That was something so regal, so powerful. However, I'd have to give something so much more important than my life- I'd much, much rather give my life. In about twenty-two hours, I'd have to give up my precious pokemon- my most loyal partners... Everyone's pokemon- the most beautiful, pure things in existence... All of the people that didn't support the fixing of the ugly parts of the world... And even dear Sycamore.  
 I can still hardly bear this, despite becoming rather resigned to it. I feel the tears spring into my eyes, and squeeze them shut, simply happy that my face had been turned away from Augustine, so that he wouldn't see my grief.  
I toe myself into the heart of my quarters, bringing the only person I'd ever opened myself up to into the deepest part of my existence, my safe sanctuary. I turn to him, the tears long since hidden. Instead, I'm sure my eyes are glassy in the low light. Red is a beautiful thing, but this room... This room is the hiding room. This room is for getting away from that. This room is Black. I expect his eyes to roam the room with curiosity- because he is a curious person, and I am incredibly sure that this room was not what he expected. However, his eyes are fixed on mine. Suddenly- I am out of control, but I cannot bring myself to take a step back from him. The feeling of vulnerability is strong, but I choke it down.  
 I cannot tell whether I simply want to make him happy right now in the best way I know how, or if I should speak to him first. After a moment, I spoke. "This-" I was shocked at the kiss, and couldn't tell if it was to shut me up or because I was taking too long. Whichever was the case, I simply sat silently. I pulled away.  
Now, now there was an awkwardness laid over us, a sheet of it. He looked at me, suddenly wearily. A few seconds of silence feel like they last a thousand years, but I don't have that long. "Say, where is Lisle?" I could not mistake his tone anywhere. He was trying to put off something. I knew what it was, and I actually did take a step back this time- cornered in my own sanctuary.  
"Lisle..." He was referring to my Pyroar, of course. Not many people know I name my pokemon- most people do name their pokemon, but not everyone does. Sycamore was the only one that knew all of their names. "Lisle is back at the labs." I am not sure what is too much information right now. I find it odd, Augustine has always been so much smaller and more fragile than me, and even with all my trust, it is still difficult to get over the slight paranoia, even more-so considering the current circumstances. With the plans inevitably culminating tomorrow, and my invitation in the most private parts of my life... This is the last place I'd like to have this conversation.  
 "The labs- huh." Sycamore sat still. No doubt, he'd expected that I'd keep Lisle, out of all of them, here with me. In fact, I usually do... But tonight is supposed to be different.  
"I usually keep him here with me though." I gave him a bit of information, but I already knew by now that I was being awkward, acting differently than usual. Honestly, I'm worn down to the wires. I watch the professor soften up a little, but at this point, it hits me that this isn't going to be anything like I'd planned. I'd planned a night, one last night to be happy, and to forget about the impending doom, and what he'd have to do, and to speak to the Professor like the years before. Instead...  
 "Augustine, I know why you chose the children." I spoke, steeling myself shut quite a bit more coldly than usual. "I knew it as soon as I saw the grounded young boy, and the fiery girl in my cafe'." His eyes are suddenly wide, and now it is his turn to retreat.  
 "And you- you are still going to go through with it?" His voice is raised a half a tone, and his back is stiffened. Like a gazelle about to take off. I half expect to get clocked before he takes off too. I met his eyes, and realized- tears. He was not one to cry, not in front of others. Not even in front of me. My resolve is slipping, my throat is dry.  
"It's not my decision anymore Au-" He won't even let me finish the sentence.  
I've never seen him get angry with me, but I guess it is far past the point for that. Suddenly, my chest aches, but I breathe steadily. He swears, and says something nearly unintelligible. I blink, and grab him by the shoulders. "LOOK. LOOK AT ME." I try my hardest to restrain my strength, but he still looks shaken. I lock eyes with him, and suddenly- I cannot believe I thought I could get through the night without having this conversation. I should not have brought him here. Should have just disappeared, or possibly brought him to the cafe'... I don't know anymore. Anywhere but here.  
"If they want to try to stop me, they can. I know you haven't told them yet. I know you know. You know exactly what I'm going to do. You probably even know how long I've been planning it." I pause, but do not tear my eyes away from him. Both of us, stark still. "They can try. But they won't succeed."  
"Then you've made up your mind." Not a question, at all from him. He sounds... Resigned.  
I don't try to explain myself, I know I don't have to. I never had to with Sycamore, he always understood. "Do you think I want to do this?"  
"Non." Suddenly, his form gives a shudder in my grip, and I pull him to me. "I think that you have exhausted all other options, you see your goals slipping away, and that it is all you can do. You've given yourself a thousand times over, there's no more to give."  
"But you don't want me to?" I can feel his hands knot into my jacket, and I know I've just asked a sensitive question.  
 He answers, after a moment of what seems to be deep thought. "The world will never be perfect, Lysandre. There is nothing perfect in the world, either. There is nothing you could possibly extract from it that will leave it pure. You are going about it the wrong way... Killing everyone... There won't be anyone left to enjoy the new world, nothing to live for anymore, no pokemon... Lysandre- I don't want you to give up your dream, but there will be others, that will help make the world a better place. You aren't the only one that will work on making the world a better place. You've done enough for one life- saved so many people." He looks at me, after saying the most words at one time he has said to me since about a month ago.  
I blink back tears. He continues, however. "What will you have left after this? No pokemon, and I know how much they mean to you! No... No... Purpose... And no... Well, I guess I never was much anyway- but,"  
 I look at him, and he's looking up at me, and now I realize. He has always thought so little of himself, regards himself as failing his own childhood dream, not 'discovering' anything as a professor, and now he even regards himself as being unimportant in my scheme of things. Why had I not seen this before? My goal in this was always to make him feel important, and now I'd even failed that!   
Suddenly, I was angry. As if this man had any right to feel that way- he hadn't done... He was perfect! "Augustine... You... You..." I had no idea what to say. "You are... And my pokemon... You are the reason I almost didn't go through with this. If the pokemon aren't bad enough to have to lose..." I trail off, unable to put my thoughts into a correct sentence. My eyes are wet, and they sting. I scowl, in an attempt to keep them from spilling over. "I know, that you won't be happy... With the changes- you won't just stay with me after it is all said and done. You'd be unhappy without pokemon, even more-so than me, and I just can't force you to live in that. I know I'm not good enough to make you want to live after this." Then, the tears spilled. I was going to lose so much for this dream. He didn't understand.  
"I... I want you to live with me, after this is all said and done. No one would expect anything out of either of us. We can live forever, be happy. Spend the time learning more about the world." My selfish, foolish dream. The look on his face ruined it for me.  
"What is the point in the world without pokemon? Everything I've studied would be moot, everything I've worked for." He looked at me, and I could see the pleading. "You can't have me and destroy everything too."  
 An ultimatum. He didn't seem like the kind of person to stoop this low.  
"I don't want to lose you, or the pokemon- don't you see? I'm not calling the shots anymore. This is necessary, this must be done." I'm trembling all over, and finally, I'm broken.  
"Then who is calling the shots?" Sycamore looks gently over me. I feel the need to run, he knows too much. He's not safe anymore. I turn away from him.  
"I am proud of you, Sycamore. You've found out far more than I have meant for you to, and you have prepared immensely well. I'm sure that either Serena or Calem will soon be a champion, and that they will be facing me jointly. Do you notice? How well they work together? Almost unstoppable. One is the ground, the other is the sky, and both are equally dangerous. His fennekin is a delphox now, her froakie has evolved twice since she battled you. Powerful duo, fire and water. You gave her a bulbasaur, and he received squirtle- now they both can use mega-evolution. You have prepared them well- precisely what they need to be on equal footing with me. Despite their age." I'm pulling the lab-coat from his shoulders, and running my lips along his chin. I'm not a sexual person, at all. In fact, I'm doing this to calm him down. To make him happy.  
All for Sycamore.  
To make him happy, this one last time, before I'd have to do the evil. The evil I wanted so badly to not have to do.  
"You are the most intelligent person I know. You've prepared them so well. Too bad, they'll never know- right?" Now, I'm pushing him towards the center of the room, where there is soft crushed velvet in a particularly fiery-shade of red laid over the most comfortable mattress I could find. I don't hate this, that isn't it. Not at all. It's just... I have never actively wanted this sort of thing. But Sycamore? He is different. Different tastes, that is all. I'm not a messy person, but I let the lab coat drop to the floor. He undoubtedly has two dozen others like it. I am still incredibly nervous- not that this would be the first time at all, non...  
It is simply the last time. And though things like this are not my cup of tea, there will be no mistaking that I'd miss his company. Severely. More than anything else. It didn't hurt me, that he was trying to stop me, however. It was natural to want to protect something. Something tells me that for him, it isn't just the pokemon.  
"I'm sure they'll find out about us, after a while- Lysandre."  
"I'm sure it will be easier for you for it to be kept a secret. I'll be public enemy number one, when they win." He tries to protest, but I place a finger on his lips. "Nope- you must keep appearances! You are meant for great things. Being connected to me is not where you will want to be, since you are so sure that they will stop me."  
"Lysandre- if you are so sure that I'm right, why don't you just cease? Stay here with me?"  
I chuckle. "If it were that simple, don't you think I'd take the easy way out?" I smile, then, running my hand across his cheek, and all the stubble there. "You are smarter than me, Professor- but I am no idiot."  
So, one last sweet time? Enough to make Sycamore die happy? I have to tire him out, to make him calm enough that I wouldn't have to hurt him... When the time finally comes.  
Now, he's shaking, but fumbling with my jacket a little, as if he is trying too hard to make the best of this, like he knows what I plan to do. If so, however, why did he come here to die? Why not take me on with his own pokemon? Simply because he didn't master mega-evolution? The stone in the ring on my finger would say otherwise. Furthermore, he hasn't asked me not to do it. Just stated that he doesn't like the idea, and why he doesn't, and that he doesn't want me to do it. He'd never ask me not to do something, because he trusts me.  
Now, I'm helping him, professional and collected at first, allowing him to melt into passion around me. Out of all the ideas I am passionate about, one would think I'd be better at this. I'm not horrid at it, just out of touch with it, that is all.  
Soon, I'd have to decide to do one of two things. I'd either have to walk out of here with the knowledge that I'd never see him again, and leave him to die at the hands of the machine- or... Or I'd have to do it myself. I'm unsure if I can do it, and it makes my hands shaky- a bit too shaky to be able to play it off as a simple pleasure response, so I'm sure he knows what I'm thinking about doing. I try to push it out of my head, but there is nothing really for me to distract my thoughts with, so I just continue with the argument. Should I let my work destroy him, or would it be more respectful to do it with my own hands?  
There are lots of things I do with my own hands for him, and I wouldn't want it any other way, but somehow, this idea leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth.  
And he rasps out "Je t'aime-" and everything suddenly makes instant sense. My heart hammers- but I don't say it back. Not until after he is laying asleep, intertwined with me. I get up- calmer than before, probably some sort of chemical from the sex. Yes, I normally felt calmer after that with him. Which still bothers me because I don't really associate much with the word, with the action- just Augustine, really. Now what I do associate special meaning with...  
I lean down, and kiss his cheek, which twitches in slumber. I hope he isn't having a nightmare. I run my knuckles under his jawline, and he startles slightly. I step away, tears in my eyes. It is so much to take in. I look down at my hands, the mega-ring still on my finger. I step forward- but cannot do it. I cannot bring myself to snap the neck of the only person I've ever loved. It would be so easy physically, and it would be mercy to do so, probably the most tender thing I'd have ever done... Instead- I leave my card with him, and as I'm silently re-dressing, I pull something from my pocket I'd been planning to give him for a long time. I'd been working on this last gift to him since we first began this arrangement- a near-precise copy of my own mega-ring. It works, and that is the aspect about it that took so long to craft. The working part.  
 I'd already socketed it with the mega-stone, Garchompite for his garchomp. Three others were socketed on the backside of it, Venasaurite, Charizardite (I am still unsure which, as I do not have a Charizard of my own to test it), and Blastoisite. It had taken me lots of careful time to find these, and lots of money. Not that money matters to me at all. I slide it on his finger, and step away.  
"I love you." I whisper- and then I'm gone. I can feel the pain in waves now, but I am going to have to deal with it. I have to do it, for a force much higher than me, for the world.  
I know he is asleep, as I leave the place I've lived at for the last six years, but I swear I can hear him plead- 'Revenir à la maison.' I blink a little, before I round the alleyway into the boulevard, so early that no one should be outside. It is as deserted as I feel, and the cold wind snaps at me like a frenzied poochyena. My whispered voice is graveled. "I won't have a home- not after this ends." Home, mon amour- is where the heart is.  
 As I walk towards the cafe', towards the secret labs- I can tell that I am being tailed. I turn. I know fairly well who it is. "Xerosic..." I'd been expecting this.  
"Boss." His face is all business.  
"There was something I had to take care of, a loose end that needed tidying." Time to put the mask back on, I'm strong again. I'm the boss again.  
He nods, and we stand in the street, him behind me a few paces. My resolve is steeled. He speaks. "You didn't cut the loose end, did you?" His voice is laced with venom. I knew he would be tailing me to see if I could get the job done. Thoroughly.  
I turn. This is the first time I have ever wanted to wipe that haughty look off of his face. It is an insult. "There are more things to life than that. He'll meet his end."  
"You aren't getting cold feet, are you? You fall for him?" His face is unreadable, suddenly.  
"Fall? For him? He's nothing. A means to an end, and the end is almost upon us." I nod to accentuate my point.  
 He scoffs, but just a bit. He can push me much more than the others even attempt to. I have come to dislike him more than I should. He has been completely sold on the idea that I still hate with the entirety of me. However, there are no other options. He speaks, one last deriding comment. "You loved him, you loved that weak-hearted fool." He is tutting under his breath.  
 I shake my head. "You really know nothing, do you?" I don't have to say any more than that. The time is now- I'll get no rest until the deed is done. I have no more time to spend with the man I'd come to love, and somehow- the world already seems more and more distasteful, and I am in far too deep to turn back now.

Time to get to work. This work may be my passion, but my heart lay in that dark little room in the bright red nook down the alleyway. I couldn't even bring myself to say goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs Listened To During Writing:  
> 1\. 'Wasteland', by Ten Years  
> 2\. 'Always', by Saliva
> 
> Excuse me as I learn to write in first person (I always preferred Third Person Limited). I've always wanted to try First Person!
> 
> This blends a bit of the anime-canon with the game-canon, and is then filled with head-canon, because wynaut?
> 
> Also, I cannot be the only person that thought that Lysandre wasn't the one in charge at the end in the games. Surely not.


	2. I Just Wanted You To Know (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Arceus damn you, hurry with that."
> 
> If encounters of a sexual nature make you nervous in any form, skip this chapter. It is Sycamore's POV of the second half of the first chapter, and he is not nearly as disinterested as Lysandre was.

I watch Lysandre's face as I pick my way over the carpet, suddenly feeling as if all the attention in the world has fallen on my shoulders. I am searching for any sign of any malignant will, any sort of anxiety, anything at all. If I were anyone else, he would appear perfectly ecstatic, but I can sense his weight shift ever so slightly to his heels, as if he wished to run farther away the closer I get... He is willing his atoms to flee all at once. I don't allow the look of concern to spread over my face, but I'm sure he realizes that something isn't quite right.  
I stand in one spot for a moment, stopping to sway on my feet. His eyes have that far away look, they swim with an ocean of blue, a deep abyss that makes me cold as I analyze it. The attention I felt at first has now slid off of me like a silken garment, suddenly dragging across my skin, hitting the floor with a strange sensation of openness. For the first time since I have arrived in his home, I feel the urge to leave. Lysandre's mind is completely engulfed, he seems to have completely dissociated himself, standing there, quietly. I've always wondered if he realizes that he does this...  
I take the moment to glance around, allowing my eyes to wander again over this foreign area. I find it incredibly odd that the place is so relatively tiny, he has lots of money. If he wished, I am sure that he could have afforded a more extravagant place, a palace even, but he settles for a place smaller than my own quarters. It is a closed off place, between several buildings, topped by what seemed to be, on the outside, another complex. This was more like a burrow than a house. I'd expected him to have some sort of an airy place, to match his aloof demeanor. Perhaps with antique furniture passed from his parents, or even living at one of his parent's vacation houses. However, he chose this...  
The lights are bright, but in a warm shade. Past him, there is what seems to be an opening to another room, perhaps where he keeps his pokemon? I hope so, I've come to love his pokemon as my own. I wonder... Why has Lisle not come running? Lysandre goes everywhere with Lisle, nearly every time I've seen him, Lisle has been with him. This threatens to make me chuckle- that poor Pyroar has seen so much between us. He doesn't seem to mind, but still.  
In fact, Lisle has always been very instrumental in getting Lysandre out of his dissociated states... I'm afraid to try to bring him back, for fear that he will be confused, so I wait it out. It never lasts very long, so I can wait until he's done with whatever it is that he is thinking about. I'll only intervene if he starts hyperventilating.  
Had my socks somehow triggered this? I frown, slightly, but only for a second. It has to be my fault. Something I had done has caused this.  
I stand awkwardly for a moment, and resume my smile, so that he is not nervous when he comes back around. I breathe, and I can tell that despite my best efforts to keep my breathing even, that it is a little too shallow. I try to lengthen my intake a little bit, and as I do this, I realize that Lysandre seems to be watching me now, not looking past me. Good... Good, he's back. He seems to breathe out, and I can see him shift back forward ever so slightly. I watch him hold himself together.  
He reaches towards me, and I step forward to allow him to take me wherever he decides. I tremble as I do, however, as the thought passes me again... What is going to happen after tonight? What will happen when he takes me wherever he is going... Is this a ploy? I have never been distrusting towards him until this past year, where I have slowly began the descent into realization of his plans. I take his hand despite this fact, and feel his warmth spread into my semi-cold fingers. Yes, he is always so warm. His hands aren't even rough- though this is to be expected. Lysandre probably hasn't had to do much physical work in his life, he was born in money, and his pokemon will do anything for him. I've seen this first-hand.  
I calm down again at his touch. My Lysandre, my best friend... I hope more, but time is running out for both of us. As my breathing slows, his begins to speed up. I wonder faintly if he is going to retreat back into his mind. This fear fades as I realize that his pulse has quickened, I can feel it in his wrist. For a moment, I am exhilarated. Possibly I am requited? Loved? Instead of needed. I don't want to be needed, I want to be cared for. It is simply not enough to be needed.  
He shuts off again, and I frown as he turns away, leading me. I cannot help but wonder what he is thinking now, that is causing him to be a thousand miles away from me, even though I am right here. If it weren't for not wishing to startle him, I'd shake him and beg for him to stay here with me. This is all the time I have left with him, and I care so much about him... Despite the fact that I know he cares far less about me.  
He takes me down a small hallway, only a little wider than the alleyway that we took to get here, and my eyes go wide as he opens a dark door. The darkest color I've seen in the house so far. My heart is running a race, and I feel sick to my stomach, simply because it is not what I expected. I figured that those colors of passion would be sprawled throughout the home. However... This is odd.  
Lysandre's muscles tighten as I hold his hand. It threatens to make me tense up too, but I force the desire down. Is he afraid? Is something wrong? I can feel myself winding back up, a clock with it's lever cranked. I almost ask him what is wrong, instead, I give his hand a squeeze. He doesn't seem to notice. My mouth hangs open for a moment as I attempt to think of a word to say, but nothing comes out. I close my mouth tightly. Now is not the time for speaking.  
He turns to me, and I study his face for a moment. We've stepped into the door, but I don't wish to turn away from him. His eyes seem a bit red, I wonder how long it has been since he has slept. Or possibly, possibly he was hiding something. The low light makes it difficult for me to see his eyes too clearly. He seems to glance around the room, and I allow my gaze to follow. The room is entirely different than what I had guess it would be. Black. Of all colors, Black. There is no passion, there is no flair, there is no power. Nothing that I can even remotely associate with Lysandre. Just a sophisticated, sheen-less black. I look back towards him, my eyes fixed on his.  
I am incredibly curious as to what is going on now. However, I will not find my answer hidden in the shadow-play on the walls. I'll find it in Lysandre.  
Suddenly, it is like he is trying to run from me again. He leans back on his heels ever so slightly, and he is unreadable for a moment. He's fairly picky with his words, but I'd have expected him to speak before this. He's not one for meaningless conversation, but he is absolutely blistering about some things. He seems to have something to say, but he isn't quite getting it out. I hope to Arceus that he isn't going to tell me that he hates me for what I've done. I'm sure he knows about The Five. Very sure. I can read it all over his face.  
Well, it's now or never.  
"This-" He starts- but I lean up to him, on my toes, and kiss him. I wonder slightly if this was rude, catching him off-guard and in the middle of starting a conversation, but I cannot take the silence and the distance any more. I want the man that I met at the corner-cafe'. I want the man I accidentally kissed at the pokemon sanctuary. The man I brought to Daeos and Maya to meet. The man that loved his work, the passion about pokemon, and the desire to better the world. I want the man who coaxed Corren into evolving with a simple touch.  
The man that made me settle down.  
This reminds me faintly of Lisle, as I part away from him. I glance around. The place is too quiet without the purring. I can see on the floor a stray chocolate hair that eluded his careful cleanliness. "Say, where is Lisle?" I could really use him right now. That pokemon pretty much single-handedly began our silent agreement. I am still unsure whether to call this a romantic relationship or not. Really depends on the circumstances. I am quietly attempting to steer the conversation away from what I am sure comes next.  
"Lisle... Lisle is back at the labs." He looks nervous, his eyes seem to slide away from mine. The fact that he isn't looking me in the eyes tells me the entire story. Lysandre always looked me in the eyes, even when I couldn't bring myself to look at his. "The labs- huh." I have no idea where this conversation is going now. I am an actor on a stage. That is all. "I usually keep him here with me though."  
I can tell that, by the ever so faint traces of Pyroar fur, by the aquarium that now sits completely empty... I guess fairly quickly that this is where he kept Nero. Now that I am brought to the conclusion, I am sure I saw a roosting spot on top the refrigerator. I figured he was one to keep his pokemon out of their pokeballs often. I haven't seen them in their pokeballs except for in really dangerous moments. In fact, he never recalled Lisle to a pokeball in front of me, even when... When. I feel myself loosen up, and heat comes to my cheeks. The things that Lisle has seen... It reminds me of the researcher I once met that aspired to be able to make a machine that showed pokemon thoughts.  
I'd hope to Arceus that the Pyroar never participates in such a session whenever that technology is developed. Lisle has always been at the foot of the bed while we have sex.  
I suspect that Lysandre uses the Pyroar as security, that his pokemon makes him calmer and less paranoid. Judging completely on Lysandre's distracted feel about the whole action, I'm sure he would be unable to function correctly without his pokemon there to have his back.  
"Augustine, I know why you chose the children." I blink, bringing myself back around as I hear his words. "I knew it as soon as I saw the grounded young boy, and the fiery girl in my Cafe'." I widen my eyes, raising my eyebrows... So... He's known. All this time. I flinch back and contemplate places to hide. There are none. Instead, I stand there. "And you-" My mouth doesn't form the words correctly so I try again. "You are still going to go through with it?" I am stark still now, fearful, and dangerous. My breath keeps catching in my throat. I'm afraid of what he is planning to do now, as if he is going to lurch forward any second and kill me.  
Sadly, even though I know I can give him a run for his money, I'm sure I won't fight back. I don't want to fight the inevitable.  
"It's not my decision anymore, Au-" He begins this, but I cut him off sharply, unable to control my rage any longer. I have no idea what I am saying, what I am doing. I am hurt, and angry, and worried. Babbling, fairly incoherently. I'm unsure if he can even hear what I am saying if even I cannot, but as I swear in my native tongue, I know by the look in his eyes that he realizes at least that word. I am jolted as he snatches me, grabbing my shoulders and holding them too tightly, pushing my arms to me firmly. It shakes me, startling me out of my rage. "LOOK. LOOK AT ME." I stare into his eyes, sure that I look incredibly hurt. I cannot hide it. The emotion is overwhelming, vaguely resembling the volcanic eruption on Cinnabar that wiped the city completely away. I am NOT okay.  
He continues, now that he has my attention. "If they want to try to stop me, they can. I know you haven't told them yet-" I sit there, dumbfounded. Is he saying what I believe he is saying? "I know that you know. You know exactly what I am going to do." He isn't skipping a beat, but my heart is currently attempting to rip completely from the confines of my ribcage. "You probably even know how long I've been planning it." He pauses, looking me in the eyes, drilling the knowledge home. Yet, he isn't hurting me. Simply restraining me. "They can try, but they won't succeed."  
I sigh, softly, and he stops holding me so roughly. My voice drops an octave, and comes out in another sigh. "Then you've made up your mind." I don't even have to question it. I know. It's a rhetorical thought.  
"Do you think I want to do this?"  
I cannot help but give him a look of disbelief. Is he really asking me this? "Non." I slip into my native tongue for a moment. I shake, the conflict is too much for me. He throws his arms around me at the shudder, and I am confused at the gentle touch. I breathe out comfortably. This is where I want to be when it ends. "I think that you have exhausted all of your other options, you see your goals slipping away, and that it is all you can do." I am sure of this. This, in and of itself, is not evil at all. He, of all people, has a right to be frustrated. He has been pushed to the edge. "You've given yourself a thousand times over, there's no more to give." I leave it at that. I can feel his heartbeat in my ear. I haven't been more comfortable than this in a while.  
"But you don't want me to?"  
I clench my fists, clutching his jacket with a need. A few moments pass, I think about pulling him out of the jacket right now. That way, this conversation could end, and we can start fresh in the morning. Maybe I'll be able to convince him not to do it then. Then, The Five will never misunderstand him, will never see him as I've glimpsed. Hell, if need be, I'll come out with... With... Whatever this is, and that way everyone will know that I'm taken. I'm sure it will put him at ease. The Five probably have already guessed it by now, anyway. I was never that innocent as a child either, so I'm sure they've seen and heard quite a bit. I decide to wait off on removing his clothing. Instead, I give him my viewpoint.  
"The world will never be perfect, Lysandre." Mon amour. I don't say it aloud, but I do think it. It makes me hurt, a hollow feeling in my stomach. "There is nothing perfect in the world, either." Not even us. Not even this. "There is nothing you can possibly extract from it that will leave it pure. You are going about it the wrong way." I breath for a moment, and think about how terrible it would be to live in a word without him here. "Killing everyone..." Even me. However, I'm not that important anyway, am I? "There won't be anyone left to enjoy the new world. Nothing to live for anymore, No Pokemon-" I swallow. "Lysandre- I don't want you to give up your dream, but there will be others that will make the world a better place." The sad thing is, that at this point, I'm sure that this is over, whatever is between us. I hate to think about it, I push the thought down and force other thoughts over it. Surely, surely something will happen to change that.  
He is perfectly still, and I'm beginning to wonder if he is gone again, despite being physically present. However, I keep going, the words are making it easier to be here, silence is too much. "You aren't the only one that will work on making the world a better place." At this point, I begin to plead with him. That is all I have left to do now. "You've done enough for one life- saved so many people." I wish I could be like you! You are a great person. What have I done? Failed a dream, and sent children off with starters? Nothing compared to what Lysandre has accomplished. I look up, and into his eyes.  
He is... He is crying. I just want to hold him, and make the tears abate. However, I continue. Maybe, maybe I'm convincing him. "What will you have left after this? No pokemon, and I know how much they mean to you!" Lisle and Ysire come to my mind instantly. He'd given so much for Lisle, and had lured Ysire in with his signet ring. He'd bought Colson simply because he looked lonely, he'd caught Nero and trained him to better himself. This man would be completely lost without his pokemon. I hate to think of how he will be without Lisle to give him a shoulder to lean on, without allowing him to tighten his fingers into his mane when he is unsure. "No... No... Purpose." I'm putting off what I really want to say. I really want to bring myself up, but I'm not a decent bargaining chip, even though I wish I am. "And no... Well, I guess I never really was much anyway- but," I trail off for a moment.  
He is angry. I flinch, knowing that he won't hurt me, but afraid anyway. However, I'm proud of myself for a moment. That familiar fire is back now, raging inside of him. He's passionate about whatever he is thinking. "Augustine... You... You..." He seems unable to gather his thoughts. "You are... And my pokemon..." He adds, dancing between the two. "You are the reason I almost didn't go through with this. If the pokemon aren't bad enough to lose..." He is blinking back tears, and I am unsure whether to hold him tighter, or to push away. "I know, that you won't be happy... With the changes- you won't just stay with me after it is all said and done. You'd be unhappy without pokemon, even more-so than me, and I just can't force you to live in that. I know I'm not good enough to make you want to live after this." He is crying now, silently. The tears are bright, and his emotions are suddenly showing, a bright painting over his face. He cannot keep them held back any more.  
"I... I want you to live with me, after this is all said and done. No one would expect anything out of either of us. We can live forever, be happy. Spend the time learning more about the world." He spills the words from his heart, and though his voice is the most pleading I have ever heard from him, the closest to shattering, the most real, sincere feeling I have ever seen in him, my shock shows. I cannot do that... I can't deal with it. Even though it is everything I've ever wanted! Everything- I just can't do that at the expense of the futures of all the people and pokemon in the world.  
"What is the point in the world without pokemon? Everything I've studied would be moot, everything I've worked for." I beg, my voice close to cracking on it's own. "You can't have me and destroy everything too." It is the best I can do. My last attempt. It is all that I can do not to drop to my knees.  
"I don't want to lose you, or the pokemon- don't you see? I'm not calling the shots anymore. This is necessary, this must be done." He is shaking, roughly, and I try to hold him still, wrapping both arms around his midsection. He seems distant. I look over him, wishing I could stop his stress. However, I am curious, suddenly. "Then who is calling the shots?" Lysandre turns away from me, and I fear that I have chased him away for good. Will he throw me out now? I let go of him.  
Suddenly, his body is steeled, and his voice takes on a more... Sinister? Desirous? I'm unsure of the exact tone. Something I haven't heard from him before. "I am proud of you, Sycamore." He hasn't called me that in so long. Something so impersonal as my last name. He knows that I don't like to be called that by friends. What he doesn't know, is that I think of him as more, and that the fact that he is calling me this right now, with that tone, is making me feel insulted. "You've found out far more than I have meant for you to, and you have prepared immensely well. I'm sure that either Serena or Calem will soon be a champion, and that they will be facing me jointly. Do you notice? How well they work together? Almost unstoppable. One is the ground, the other is the sky, and both are equally dangerous. His fennekin is a delphox now, her froakie has evolved twice since she battled you. Powerful duo, fire and water. You gave her a bulbasaur, and he received squirtle- now they both can use mega-evolution. You have prepared them well- precisely what they need to be on equal footing with me. Despite their age." This entire time, he is gently running his fingers over my collar, pulling my labcoat from me... I know where this is going.  
I'm unsure if it rubs me the wrong way that he is trying to seduce me after an argument. After calling me by my last name. However, he doesn't notice that I'm hurt. Definitely because of the tightness in my trousers. I've been trying to ignore it for a long time, filling my mind with endless other thoughts. However, it's urgent now. I feel heat in my cheeks and neck, the muscles in my throat tighten. I don't understand why he is putting off the argument to make me feel like this.  
He is kissing my chin. My first instinct is to run, but I already feel myself becoming more and more aroused. No. Non, non, non. Not this. I will not feel like this, not right now. However, he is suddenly speaking against my neck. "You are the most intelligent person I know. You've prepared them so well. Too bad, they'll never know- right?" All the thoughts leave my mind.  
They? Whom is they again? I swallow, and his lips are tickling my Adam's apple. Ah- that feels goo- Wait, the Five. The Five. They won't know about us. Somehow, far away, that sounds wrong. Perverted even. That they should know. I shouldn't be wanting this from Lysandre while arguing with him. He's leading me towards the bed in the center of the room, a circular shaped and huge mattress, one that I refused to acknowledge earlier because I didn't want to think about doing this. He pushes me down, and my stomach feels a fluttering sensation. Great. Blood rushing away from my stomach, and to my muscles. Wonderful, that is all I need right now...  
My lab coat is gone, somewhere. I feel a tad defenseless without it, but it is a little late to be lamenting that. "I'm sure they'll find out about us, after a while- Lysandre." I allow this to escape while I can still think. Yes, the five probably already know to some degree... I'm sure Calem and Serena will become my assistants after this is all said and done, and that one day, they will ask me why I haven't settled down and gotten married. I'll have to tell them the truth.  
"I'm sure it will be easier for you for it to be kept a secret. I'll be public enemy number one, when they win." Lysandre speaks, and between the words he is kissing me, somewhat distractedly. I'm sure he is probably thinking about something else while doing this, because his wing-man isn't here, and he's never done this particular action without Lisle being present. I open my mouth, unsure whether a sigh will come out, or a protest. Instead, his finger is to my lips, and he is nipping at my neck. "Nope- you must keep appearances! You are meant for great things. Being connected to me is not where you will want to be, since you are so sure that they will stop me." A low moan escapes me, because he's over the top of me, and something rubs. It's almost more than I can bear to wait.  
I'm trying to keep my head on straight. I pant, and try to pull away. He doesn't even seem to notice as I attempt to scramble away, however, it is too much for me. I am unable to move away from his tantalizing touch. "Lysandre- if you are so sure that I'm right, why don't you just cease? Stay here with me?" I am begging now, outright. He rubs my side through my clothes, and I vaguely wonder why my shirt is still on. I want nothing more than for him to be with me. That's all. I can give nearly everything else I own up. This seems wrong, but I can't find any reasons why. He is laughing, beneath his breath. I lean up, and despite the fact that I know he gets uncomfortable when touched without initiating it, I kiss his cheek.  
"If it were that simple, don't you think I'd take the easy way out?" His voice is smoldering, and I wonder if he is really feeling this, or if he is simply trying to weaken me. He's never been too interested in this at all. He smiles, and I wriggle. His hand is against my cheek, and it tickles the stubble there. My skin is burning now, every touch is too much. His voice is low now, whispering into my ear, his body pressed against mine. "You are smarter than me, Professor- but I am no idiot."  
I whimper, and cannot help but to arch my back as he lingers there, above me. Rubbing myself against him. Despite the fact that he has told me he is largely uninterested in this, he is just as hard as I am. I tremble, but not from fear. From want. I am working at his jacket, but as his bottom half is that close to me, it is nearly impossible for me to stay steady enough to work it loose. He holds himself up with one arm, over me too high... Too far away from me for my liking. He helps me unzip his jacket, and I pull it off of him. He ever so carefully folds it, using the bed as a steady since he only uses one hand, and places it on the nightstand. His neatness drives me up the wall. I can remember several times that he made me wait because he had to fold every piece of clothing he took off before we could get back to it.  
"Arceus damn you, hurry with that." I whisper, trying to swallow a moan. He doesn't seem to be listening to me, however. He always seems to go somewhere inside when this happens, but I crave him. Him, specifically. I never was a saint, I've had plenty of people. Plenty enough to know that I want him. There is always something different about Lysandre. Sex is Sex, but Lysandre... He's different. I touch his sides, and he scoops an arm under me, using his legs as counterbalance to lift me up and slide my shirt off over my head. He better not fold that too. I am unsure how long I can deal with all these distractions. He runs his hands over my body, distantly, but I bring him momentarily back to the present with a sharp nip to his neck, pulling off his cravat. He looks stricken for a moment, but I toss it over to the nightstand. No. No folding. He folds himself over me, delivering what I cannot tell is between kisses and bites to my neck and shoulders, over my chest. Down to my sides.  
He runs across a particularly bright nerve across my stomach, and an inhuman noise escapes me. He has gotten so much better at this than the first time. Well, his first time. Not mine, of course. I've never been one to keep myself from having what I want without good reason. Lysandre is only a couple of years younger than me, and I would not have believed him that it was his first time, except for the fact that he was so horridly bad at it. It was laughable, such a powerful man, never having had this.  
However, he is deft now, having learned from me. His hands brush the spot experimentally again, and then lower, making my breath hitch. "You are just trying to distract me, aren't you?" I surface from desire for a moment, but instantly go under again, clawing his back, pulling him closer as I kiss him, his belly brushing up against mine. His hands are around my hips now, slowly edging his fingers under my belt. He lingers there for a moment, and then he is getting me out of them. He easily slides them off of me, and then another layer before looking at me. I can't tell what the look is in his eyes as he is looking at me, but I want to be looked at like that forever. I squirm, placing my hands on his chest and traveling lower, my fingertips brushing the reddish hair that grows there. I strip him just as easily.  
He never gets used to that. Even now, he is trembling as I removed the last of the clothing that is his armor, he is shaking, freezing. I know he feels unprotected, and this is the first time he has done this without Lisle there to protect him as he is becoming vulnerable. "Come here." I whisper, pulling him down to me closer, wrapping arms around him, every bit of me pressed to him. As much surface area as I can to touch him. He is shaking as I gently run my hands across his back. This is what I know he likes. The gentle touch. He doesn't get touched often, doesn't allow it, and I know that this is the most intimate touch he allows from anyone. It makes me feel slightly better about myself.  
I'm vaguely aware that there is some reason why I shouldn't be savoring this. However, I cannot remember now.  
He breathes in deeply, and with the exhale he relaxes his body, allowing his weight on me. "Lysandre..." I let his name come out with a sigh. He shakes, his hands are shaking as he lifts my head to his, he kisses me, and then leans up to kiss my forehead. I take the moment to touch lower towards his front. "May I?"  
He doesn't answer, so I slowly touch him. He buries his head in my neck and I feel him breathing there. I'm unsure what he is thinking about now, but he is mumbling something. His cheek is against my neck, and I can feel my own pulse due to it. I begin working him, but don't overturn him from on top of me. Last time I'd tried that, I found it was folly fairly quickly. He's not a talker, I know. Instead, as I continue, he holds me tighter. I am much better at this than him, and for his sake I make it quick. He murmurs against my neck, and then- I push him up from me for just a moment.  
I am not weak. His weight is nothing.  
"You are beautiful." My voice is tremulous from the strain.  
I kiss his belly and his sides, I nip him, staying away from areas I know he feels uncomfortable about. His nipples, the space just below his navel, places I won't touch after he mentioned they bothered him- I'm not here to make him uncomfortable. This was part of the unspoken agreement. Then, I tease him with my tongue.  
His voice shocks me as he speaks- "Augustine, I don't know if I can..."  
I don't even think he realizes what he says for a moment- his hands are shaking so hard. For a moment that seems wrong, he doesn't shake like that. However, right now, I cannot think of anything he could be shaking about. I get right to it, knowing that soon he'll be finished. I know he allows me to do this for my sake only, it feels awkward to be pleased without pleasing.  
He shudders atop me, and I kiss him. However, before I can finish him off- he seems to come back to himself, all of a sudden, and he travels lower (pushing me up towards the pillow), I curl over the top of him as he does this. His hair brushes against my stomach, which is very sensitive. I cannot register the noise that leaps it's way from my voice box next. He takes me in his mouth, and my muscles go rigid. "Oh- Lysandre." After a moment of that shuddering feeling racking my form, I drop back to the mattress, and arch my back. This is going to hurt in the morning...  
He is licking me, but at this point I'm unsure exactly what the sensation is. Everything, all the touches, blending together. Stars, brightness, I shake as he pulls back one last time-  
"Je t'aime-" Release. My voice is vaguely rough. I watch him pull back, wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand, an ungraceful gesture. My muscles feel weak, despite the fact that my back already hurts. He falls finally to my side, and instantly wraps himself around me, his chest and belly soft against my aching back. I can feel him breathe against my neck. It calms me.  
"I just wanted you to know." I whisper, but I'm already falling asleep before I can get an answer from him, and I'm unsure if he is awake himself or not.  
Just before I slip into the world of dreams, it hits me that he has succeeded in rendering me helpless. I shake the thought, warm in his embrace, and fall asleep.

At this point, I begin to plead with him. That is all I have left to do now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Song I Listened To While Writing This Chapter:  
> Bliss (I Don't Want to Know) by Hinder
> 
> The Shortest Chapter, but I feel that it is enough. The fifth chapter will elaborate more on certain things presented in this chapter. So if this chapter made you nervous, avoid the fifth one when it comes as if it is the plague and you are a middle-ages peasant (that learned to read somewhere).
> 
> Sycamore's POV is going to kill me. D: On the other hand, I have a new favorite quote for this fic now. Also, it doesn't help that this character is so different from me, both personality-wise and actions-wise. I relate much more to head-canon Lysandre.


	3. Somewhere Else (Anywhere Else)

I awake with a start. Shuddering and stretching noiselessly, drowning in a stagnant feeling that I cannot quite place at the moment. The surroundings are crushing and viscous, the air is too calm, it is not right, somehow. It takes me a moment to slowly ascend into consciousness. "Hn... Lys...andre... Mmm..." I roll over, and open my eyes, but cannot see anything. My eyes aren't adjusted. I blink, and rub my eyes.  
I feel vaguely cold, and pull the coverlet over my chest, shuddering. The feeling is wrong, the most immensely wrong feeling that could possibly be felt. The coverlet comes away far too easily. I'd expected some resistance- he is really bad about taking up all the covers. It doesn't quite make sense, yet. Memories are coming back in bursts, starting with myself standing in the street, and the realization of the oncoming doom... Then Lysandre, and his hand, and his warmth... Being lead to his home, the awkward feelings, the argument. Watching his tears- and the... The...  
Wait. This is wrong. My mind is still foggy, but it clears enough for this feeling to swallow me whole.  
I push my arm forward, over towards the opposite side of the bed. No- no one. I shudder, and sit up, glancing around, one hand rubbing the sleep out of an eye. This is the first time I've woken up alone after spending the night with him, and it doesn't make any kind of sense. The room is black and empty, a void. The lights are dim, and it gives me the feeling of being lost in a never-ending cave. The likeness to a cave is supplemented by a feeling of being lost, of being too alone. My eyes are quickly adjusting to the low light, taking in my surroundings. My mind is still fuzzy around the edges, and it still doesn't quite make sense to me that Lysandre is gone. When I fell asleep, he was right... Right there. Tangled up with me, his belly pressed to my bare back.  
I run my hands along my sides, my hands are cold, and my sides are too. I'd fallen asleep being held, and now I'm utterly alone. I feel something colder, more sleek than skin rub against my side, and bring my hand up to my eyes, close, but my eyes are still not adjusted to the light. I push it out of my mind, and with the newfound emptiness in my thoughts, everything comes to focus. Suddenly, it all makes sense. I'd said it... I'd admitted how I felt. Now, I feel incredibly idiotic beyond any measure in existence. How could I have done that? What, did I think that simply telling him explicitly how I felt would make him stay with me? Would make him contemplate yet again his course of action? I am not important enough for such flimsy words, no matter how much I meant them, to change his mind. Somehow, that makes more sense to me than anything else could ever have.  
I call out, my voice breaking at first, I clear my throat. Then, again, louder. "Lys... -ahem- Lysandre! Lysandre?" Questioning- suddenly. Begging. Maybe, just maybe, he is elsewhere in his house. Maybe he got up early to fix breakfast here? I know that my hopes are completely invalid, that I'm just wishfully thinking. "Lysandre..." This time it is simply a whisper. I probably frightened him away even quicker with my words last night, and that chills me to the core. I glance around the room, and begin to get up, but I know that he isn't here, and not to go looking for him. The house is too small, he would have been able to hear me... Would have already come running. Or so I tell myself. It hurts minimally less to think of it as so. I turn to the side, to see a small card laying on the floor.... "Qu... Quoi?" I bend low, aching from last night's passion, and pick up the card gingerly within my fingers. It is red. I blink, twice. His card. The one he used to let himself into his home...  
So he's not coming back. Not... Not ever.  
It finally hits me that I will never see Lysandre again, even if I do- it will not be on the same terms... It's a frightening feeling that makes my chest tighten up inside. The pain is bearable, but only just so. I nearly let the card drop back to the floor, but instead, I raise it to my nose. It smells strongly like him. Suddenly, I push my nose to the bed, on his side, where I remember him laying... It smells precisely like him. That threatens to bring tears to my eyes, so I lay there for a moment, drinking in the smell and the atmosphere. Even without Lysandre here I feel safe, even though I am very sure that I am far from that. The hands of the machine will reach to throttle even beyond walls. However, without him here... This tiny space feels gargantuan. I simply cannot wrap my head around the fact that he is gone, even though it is obvious.  
I faintly wonder what time it is, and push myself up from the bed, but do not climb off of it. Now that my eyes are adjusted, I lift my hand to my face again, and the sight shocks me, I gasp.  
The sight of it shatters my soul instantly. At first, I thought that it was Lysandre's ring, but soon, I figure out that there are four stones in it, one on the front and three in the back. At first, I don't understand. Where did I get this? Then it hits me, and I still don't get it. Why had he done this? How long ago had he began working on this? Where did he get it? Why me? Why now? I gingerly twist it around my finger, it fits perfectly. When had he taken my ring size? I simply cannot recall a time when he could have-  
Wait. My heart stops and hammers.  
I fall asleep next to him rather regularly... He could have taken it at any time. Oddly enough, I'm not afraid of this. Instead, I am perplexed at the gift... Was he giving me... Giving me my dream? Just before he destroyed me and every other non-Flare member on this planet? It doesn't add up. The gesture is too tender to have been wasted like this, and it makes me feel terrible.  
Unless he had been working on it before, and just hadn't found the right moment to present it to me? That wouldn't surprise me. He has constantly done things just a little too late, putting off everything until the moment when he was absolutely sure that it was the choice he wanted to make, that would make the maximum impact in the direction he was pushing.  
However, I am surprised that I am alive... Why? I'd completely expected him to kill me. Judging by his distracted look during our lovemaking, I'm sure that he was thinking about it. I stretch out my body, sore... The fabric of the coverlet feels too silky, too rich. However, I wrap myself up in it even more. I cannot bring myself to leave the bed, or this last piece of Lysandre that I have. I cuddle it closely, and think about the ring- such a foreign object. Even now, I'm not worthy of it. My spirit is completely broken, and now... Now I will just wait for my death. I'm sure it will come soon, and part of me is excited about this, and it sickens the rest of me.  
I have no idea whether I am insulted that I'm not dead currently, or if I am relieved. Part of me is insulted, he didn't see me important enough or dear enough to personalize my death. However, if his plan didn't work, and I was dead...  
The thought of never seeing him again resurfaces despite my morbid attempt at pushing it down, and I pull the pillow down to my side from under my head, holding it. I fight back the tears, and try to pretend that this isn't happening. Try to immerse myself in some other time- some happier time.  
Soon, I'll be dead anyway. How fitting it will be, for my resting place to be amongst all the other things that Lysandre ever put any kind of misplaced value in. I envy his pokemon, because they will get to be by his side until the end. Me? I will never know if he ever really did love me, in some misconstrued sense. In fact, I'm sure that it is all just part of that plan of his. He's got me here, and out of the way. I've given him all the information he needed to set his plan under way, more than willingly. I sicken myself with this thought, I'm a songbird- simple as that. Anything he'd asked, I'd explained it in detail, everything he needed to know, I was hungry to impart, all to gain his affections. It was clear he'd never really desired me anyway, yet I still to this moment crave his touch. Just like a teenager, and I haven't been a teenager is a deceptively long time. Then again, I'd never felt like that when I was a teen. I'd grown up far too fast.  
I hope faintly that I am not forcing the Five to grow up too fast. Not as fast as I did, at least.  
Interesting, how Lysandre has always given me my young life that I threw away to chase my dream... Then, with my dream abandoning me, I scrambled to get back to what I'd missed. Now, I'm alone in a strange house- and my dream is wrapped around my left ring finger. I feel as if it is choking me, a sensation more real than actually being choked- or so I imagine. It had taken him until the last possible second to bring me here... So very Lysandre. Now, the area is devoid of him, and the warmth is gone. I am unsure if I am happy to have had one last night with him, or if I wish I'd simply turned back towards the labs and slept in my chair. Then, I wouldn't be laying here, alone until the end. I'd be working, at least somewhat happy, and visiting the pokemon at the sanctuary... Or my own pokemon. Then, at least I wouldn't be alone for my last few seconds.  
I cannot help but wonder, with the lack of outside stimuli, what Lysandre is doing right now. Where the Five are. What time it is. If I am too late, if I should have picked the Five at an earlier date... Given them more time to prepare. I think about how selfish I am- that I've forced some children into my battle to fight. However, I somehow know that they cannot be any more ready than they are now. Even if I am wrong, they are far more ready than I am. I deplore the thought of dieing without my pokemon by my side, but at this point, coming in to work today is not an option. I go over my options, bit by bit. I'm aware that I am taking borrowed time, for all I know, I may be running out of time right now... Or maybe, maybe this is the first few seconds of forever without him.  
Finally, I decide that I will stay here. I am sure Lysandre won't come back here, even after the deed is done, and I am... Gone. He doesn't care about me enough to want to come back for my body, I'm sure. In fact, I'm sure that he'd be disgusted by it. He didn't even say Goodbye, didn't wake me up to give me his gift. An expensive gift, in more ways than one, I am sure, but wasted on a future corpse. His motivations don't really make sense right now. He's gone... and he's left his access card. However, he left me with a near-exact replica of his mega-ring... He didn't kill me while I slept, but he is going to kill me much less personally later. He says that he will make a more beautiful world, but he tells me that Serena and Calem will stop him. He brings me home, just to leave me alone. He says he knew about my plan, but he never put an end to it. He obviously isn't interested in me, but then he... He...  
I shudder, and ache. I still feel the ghosting sensations of his touch. My chest feels as if it is going to split open. It is enough to make me whimper.  
I try to push the memory from my head, but I squeeze the pillow just a little bit more, smothering myself in the smell. I pull back, and breathe in. My nostrils are stained with the fragrance. It reminds me of simpler times, in the beginning. At this point, I'm unsure if I regret having met Lysandre, if this would have been easier without being the traitor- without bedding the enemy. It definitely would have been easier- but I don't regret meeting him. I know that everything always comes to an end, I'd known it then. However, he'd given me everything I'd ever wanted, and now... Now I'm sure that I can die at least somewhat more happily.  
I do wish, however, that I'd never woken up. That'd I'd died, or dreamed forever.  
In the dream, Lysandre had held me, and stroked my cheek, had kissed me... I can still feel the sensation of his hands on my sides, warm and gentle. I shudder now, at the thought, but then... Then I was so calm. So sure of what was to come. Then he'd whispered, softly and into my ear, "I love you." The words washed over my ears and made me hum with happiness, a smile so wide that it hurt forcing it's way to be shown. I bury myself in his neck and laugh, nipping at the base of his neck.  
It is still amazing to me, that after all these years, it had never struck me that he'd never declared what I'd assumed were his feelings. Of course, I know now, with a hollow- void-like feeling within, that he never did love me. Couldn't have. However... He was proud of me. He wasn't the lying kind of man, and even now I can take every word he's ever said to me as true. Even that he was proud of me, last night.  
That compliment didn't make the pain of rejection feel any less, but it did make my heart swell just a bit. Him, proud- of me. I'd done something worth mentioning.  
I clench my fist in the sheets, and slowly release my breath.  
With that- I am somewhere, anywhere else. Anywhere but here.  
Anywhere but in a world where Lysandre isn't next to me when I wake up.  
‘Revenir à la maison.’ I say, my mind somewhat blank, but I can feel a cold tear roll down my cheek. ‘Revenir à la maison.’  
I am hallucinating, I am sure. Because I can swear that he whispers, in my ear, even as he is gone. 'I won't have a home, not after this ends.' I can feel the brush of his lips on my ear, and I tremble brokenly.  
'Home is where the heart is.' I remind myself.  
'Home is gone. I'll never be home again.'

\-----------------------

"Around Six Years Prior"  
Lumiose city is extravagant, beautiful, radiant in the daylight. Light is gleaming through the windows in Sycamore's laboratory. He glances out, across his desk, out towards the city beyond the glass. Bright light fills the room, and outside the buildings are bright and homey, tall and extravagant. The air outside smells of coffee, and of something sweeter, more fruit-like. The sun serves to warm the air to a gentle temperature, and the look on the young professor's face serves to show exactly how unfair it is that he is cooped up in his office for at least half an hour longer.  
One can tell by looking at him that his young heart sings for the weather outside, and a harsh cold, sterile laboratory is stifling, if not murderous, to that youth. He taps his desk with his fingers, and then types away on his keyboard. His desk is impersonal, a desktop, keyboard, writing pad, and a few writing utensils are all that is splayed upon it. He looks up, as his assistant enters the room, trying to make himself look busy. She laughs at this, and her voice rings. "Professor, it's nearly lunch." Her flesh is ebony against the white lab-coats all of the workers here wore, her eyes shining like crystals. She is tall, and exudes confidence. However, that is not everything in a person, Sycamore knows. Her name-tag was crooked on her coat- 'Malonie Maple'. She was a promising young woman, and Sycamore is sure that she will be the next youngest pokemon professor very soon. She works hard, he has noted.  
"Ah, yes, Malonie." He flips a page in his notepad, not quite getting past a doodle on the front page before she can see it. She ignores it, however, to keep from embarrassing her superior. "If you are wanting to go early, you may." He smiles at her, winking.  
"Ah- uhm... Well, how did you know?" Her voice adequately conveys both her amusement and nervousness quite well, and carries throughout the room on a high note. She nervously taps a foot, but smiles at her boss very warmly. Nothing is better than to have a kind boss.  
"Hush now- and hurry along. I know you've been sweet on that young man... What was his name..." He smiled, tapping his chin, taking entirely too long to remember a name he knew fairly decently by now, since she doesn't seem to notice that she talks about him all the time. "Ah... Allen or something. Or is that the right name..." The corner of his mouth tipped up, ever so slightly. "Hmm..." It gave him away.  
She blushes like mad. "No- no, It's Ollie! But, yeah... I guess so. He wanted to bring me to the Lumiose Gallete stand. You know, those are supposedly really great, and I've never had the time to stop past there." She's absentmindedly twirling a lock of hair with her finger, and Sycamore chuckles at his 'mistake'.  
"Ah- ah. Yes, of course! Ollie." He sweeps himself up, walking over, and lightly placing his hands on her shoulders, ushering her towards the elevator. "They are indeed nice. Go on, go on! Go meet your Ollie- have a good time now!" His smile is infectious, and soon, she's down the elevator and he's the only one on the top floor. As soon as his assistant is gone, Sycamore is back to longingly staring out the window, and pretending that he is busy. Tapping a foot, drumming his fingers. Just a bit of a boredom tic here and there. Sycamore picks up his pencil and begins doodling before long, vivillons of all different patterns, migratory pokemon, kanto starters... After a while, he falls back into his old habit of drawing mega evolutions.  
Once an obsession, always an obsession.  
This Sycamore is significantly younger, no smile-lines around his mouth, the stubble is smoother, less full. His eyes seem brighter, and his spirit is unbroken, a wild ponyta, promising a spirited rapidash in the future. However, his calmness is overwhelming, it is contagious to the whole building. The other scientists work on their various projects, sparing precious seconds to revel in the beauty and warmth that threatens to sweep them all away from their work.  
Sycamore smiles as he draws, absentmindedly, now that he is alone, but one cannot mistake the chill that runs through his body- a slight lonely sigh that escapes from his mouth. From time to time, he glances at the time-keeper on his computer, anxiously awaiting lunch break. As soon as the time comes, Sycamore springs up from his desk quickly, eyes ablaze. He practically dances across the floor to the elevator, where he stops by the second floor for just a moment to pick through some of his belongings from a book-bag... There! He pulls a simple pokeball from the bag, and smiles fondly at it.  
"Bonnes nouvelles- everyone, lunch break!" The scientists on the floor smile, warmly, and begin to come to a stopping point in their various projects, most of which had been going rather slowly that day anyway. Sycamore smiles as each person passes him.  
"Hey Professor, who are you bringing with you today?" His youngest assistant smiled, prettily, her face still had the roundness of childhood, her hair was golden, and by the paleness in her skin she had stayed far too long indoors. The nice sunshine today would be good for her. She passed him, still holding on to her research notes, as always.  
"Ah, Miss Vayan. I was thinking about bringing Corren." He smiles down at the pokeball, and she nods at him.  
"Good choice! Have fun Professor." With that, she is gone. She was always the quiet type.  
"Sycamore! How's your project going?" This time, a man nodded over to him, a good twenty years older than Sycamore himself. He was stooped over slightly, probably from having to slump to see into his testing station. When Sycamore had asked if he could fix the issue, the man had said no. His face was weathered and tanned, but his eyes were bright and clear, a blue sky.  
"Ah- same old, same old. You know me." Sycamore nods, and presses the button on his pokeball, releasing the gabite inside. "Gabba-!" The Gabite is a very bright blue, with an orange underbelly- that is odd, it seems a bit off of the normal Gabite color scheme. A notch adorns it's dorsal fin, and it seems to be enjoying itself. The beast is all smiles.  
"Why, isn't that Corren?" The man is all smiles, and Sycamore nods. He continues. "I haven't seen Corren since 'e was a gible! Well, how you've grown Cor!" He drops painfully to his knees, and rubs the gabite's nose. "Gabba!" The beast is almost purring, rubbing its maw against the man's hand, like a cat marking family.  
"Yeah, love 'em to death. He's the sweetest thing, you know?" Sycamore says, patting the gabite's dorsal fin.  
"How long have you had him again? He's a slow evolver, isn't he..." At this point, Sycamore grabs the man's hands in both of his, like one would a father, and helps him up to his feet again, a little wobbly. Soon, the older man is petting Corren's chin. The gabite is enjoying that, leaning into the praise.  
Sycamore seems to think for a moment, as they begin to walk into the elevator. He bumps the first floor button absentmindedly as he recalls. "Hmm... Well, I was fourteen when I ran across him. So about eleven years now. Wow, it's been longer than I thought!" He nods, rubbing his chin. "I've been trying to get him to evolve for quite some time, but it's okay that he hasn't. Not all pokemon want to evolve, you know?" Sycamore turns to the gabite, and smiles broadly. "Right buddy?"  
"Gabba! Bite." Corren trills a bit, and turns towards Sycamore, lowering it's head and making a jovial expression.  
"That's right." Sycamore can't seem to be any happier. "Even if you stay a Gabite forever, I'll still love you little guy." The elevator opens, and the two colleagues step out, followed by the dragon pokemon. "Well, I'll see you after the break, Sir Daeos." Sycamore smiles, and the man nods in return. "Going to take the wife out for lunch, it's a bit lonely now that the kids are out of the house, you know?" The man begins to walk slowly for the door, attempting to hide a limp from an injury long past. "You've got to come home and eat dinner with us again, sometime. You're like a son to Maya and me, she misses your company."  
Sycamore rubs the back of his own neck, smiling warmly. "Ah, but I'll eat you out of house and home!" Both men laugh, and the old man turns, the side of his face he always turned to the away from whoever he was talking to is showing. Down the side of his cheek is a deep scar. Sycamore knows that it is from a time long past, a war that had ended many years ago. Daeos had lost his pokemon in that battle, and nearly his life, if not for Eo- his Honchkrow. The older man had told him once that he owed his life to that pokemon, and that he does his work in honor of Eo.  
"I'll be sure to come by, we'll make plans sometime, ya- hear? Tell 'Maya she needs to plan some of that pot roast." He winks, and the old man turns away.  
"Always did like the pot-roast, that boy." Daeos says, aloud, as he leaves the looming lab. However, he adds something else mentally- 'I wish he'd call me father, though. Since his parents are gone.'

Soon, Sycamore has made his way completely around the first floor, finally talking to the receptionist, and then leaving. The gabite is extremely excited by the point, struggling to keep pace with Sycamore as he walks down the boulevard. Now... Where to go? The sunlight is gentle and showers the land with a soft caress, the wind bustles through the street with a brush against each person. The street is jam-packed with people and pokemon, normal for the lunch rush-hour. Sycamore is jovial, just to be out and about, to see the people, the pokemon, the city... Nature. Everything is beautiful, and though he isn't one to see the world through a rose-tinted glass, he has to admit, that Lumiose is incredibly bright and intense. The city really gets the blood rushing.  
He laughs, and it rings in the air. "Race you- Corren!" Suddenly, he's taken off, weaving through the crowd like a youngster, legs and fists pumping, blood running through his body. "Gabai?" Corren blinks, and suddenly, he's jumping and gliding over the crowd, and they are watching in amazement. The light hits the pokemon in just the right manner, and he sparkles.  
"Is that... Is that the Professor's gabite?" Someone says, grinning in awe. "I hear he has a shiny, you know." The voice is lost in the crowd.  
Corren catches up with Sycamore quickly, and roars a merry tone. "Uh-uh, no fair, Cor! I can't fly! You know it too!" However, he's not mad, he's happy, and bright. "Come down from there- cheater!" Corren roars, again, and drops down directly on top of Sycamore. "Gah- no fair! No fair, get off!" He pushes the gabite off, giggling.  
"Gabite! Ga." The mischievous pokemon seems to do a dance when Sycamore gets up.  
"Come on now, little guy, you won. You won Cor. No fair, as you get older, you get stronger. I just get weaker and weaker."  
"Gaba. Bite." The large dragon follows Sycamore happily. "Ga-gabite? Bite bite?"  
"Ah, we are going to a cafe, it's an outdoors one."  
"Ga...Be'?"  
"Yes, cafe. You are so smart Cor!"  
"Ga-be! Ga-be!" Corren growls, a frightening sound to anyone but Sycamore, who knows it well. "I missed walking with you, Corr. You are really great, you know?" Sycamore is patting the creature's head as he walks, and smiling. "The cafe is right down the street, start being calm. You don't want to scare anyone off. Also- pokemon are welcome there, try not to scare the pokemon!"  
"Gah-bah." The gabite nods, and purrs, somewhat like a feline. The gabite lowers his head to keep himself looking less ferocious. Corren wags his tail excitedly.  
"Not so excited, you don't want to knock anything off of a table, Cor." Sycamore whispers, in a hushed tone. The gabite nods, and stills himself. "What about this table..." Sycamore looks over the tables, and selects one the farthest from anyone else. He can feel eyes on him, now that he is in a less crowded part of the town. The professor, the local celebrity. Sometimes, he hated that with a passion. That hadn't been his goal when he became a pokemon professor- and he wasn't fond of being the center of the attention.  
"Looks like you have some admirers, Cor." The gabite hid it's head in it's forelimbs, a mockery of embarrassment. "Gabite... Gaba-ite!" Corren swatted at Sycamore, and the man smiled.  
"We'll, sit down here..." He pulls himself out a chair, and sits down, while a waiter pulls over a cushion for Corren to sit on.  
"May I take your order?" The waiter says. His hair is bright cyan, flamboyant. He smiles, eager to take the order. Possibly over-eager. Sycamore cannot help but feel bad for him.  
"Sure sir- I'd like... Hmm... How about you surprise me? But Corren here likes the minced beef, so why not get that for him? With the pepper sauce. He likes spicy flavors." Sycamore nods. Corren opens his maw toothily. "GABITE!" His looks happy with the professor's decision.  
"Yes sir- I'll be sure to pick out something special for you. Have a pleasant lunch." The young man turned away, but not before double-taking Sycamore. Is that the pokemon professor? That Sycamore guy? His politeness keeps him from saying anything.  
Sycamore watches over the pavilion, towards the boulevard, where he can see the swell of people walking past. He wonders where they are going, how they are doing... He sighs, and turns to his Gabite. "Hey Corr, how would you like to come to Daeos' house with me this weekend? It's been a while since you've seen Maya."  
"Ga-bah? Ga-bah? Gabagabagaba!" The gabite is nearly bouncing in his spot. Corren loves Maya, and Sycamore smiles heartily at this. "It's settled then, you'll come with me. I'm sure that she'll have something for you, and you can play with Asen." Asen, Maya's battle-scarred Pidgeot, was a very matronly figure, nearly a mother to Corren. The gabite purrs at this. Sycamore felt sorry for Asen. When Daeos lost Eo, Asen had lost her mate. She'd never had her own offspring, so when Sycamore had started staying around the family, she took Corren- then a gible- under her wing.  
"Couriway is a long way away, but it will be a fun weekend trip, won't it." He smiles, dreamily, staring out at the boulevard. He can already smell the pot-roast, and the morning sun feels great. He doesn't even notice the cafe's seats swell with people. Soon, movement catches in the corner of his eye, and a man stands there to his left, a huge man. Sycamore startles, and looks up, it seems to take forever to meet the man's eyes.  
His hair is flamboyant orange, like a fire flashing in nearly every direction, his eyes are far-away, and blue, blue like water. His neck is hidden completely by his beard. Sycamore blinks- the man is dressed differently than most dress around here. A black jacket over black trousers, some shade of orange he couldn't really name lining the look, matching his hair. His neck is surrounded by a fluffy white collar, which completely offsets the look. Sycamore blinks.  
"Hello sir, would you mind if we sat across from you?" Sycamore tore his eyes away from the man, to see a large male pyroar standing behind him, purring loudly. The pokemon resembled his trainer deeply, in every aspect. Large- taller than Corren, and rumbling, a deep chest. "There aren't any other seats."  
Sycamore glanced out over the rest of the tables, figuring that this was some ploy for someone to badger him about his latest projects, and realized that it was true- there were not other seats open. Sycamore nodded. "Sure- go ahead, we don't mind." The Gabite snaked it's head out, and sniffed at the Pyroar. "Corren- don't make them feel uncomfortable, where are your manners?"  
"Ah-gahba." The gabite blinked, pulling back.  
"Désolé, he's a curious one." Sycamore speaks, putting a hand on the gabite's head to calm it. Just as the man began to sit down, his Pyroar butted it's head against Sycamore's other hand, begging for a pat. "Woah- he's well behaved. May I?" He asked, curiously. His gray eyes turn towards the large man.  
"Sure- go ahead. He's tame." The man nods, looking completely calm. Looking back on it, Sycamore would notice that he is actually very nervous at this point. Sycamore runs his hand over the Pyroar's head. "He's well groomed!" The pyroar purrs louder, rubbing against the hand more.  
"He's usually not one to take up with people so quickly." The man adds, watching the beast with a wary look. "He's not mean, but he's aloof."  
"Pokemon usually reflect on their trainers." Sycamore says, pulling his hand away from the pyroar, and nodded towards his gabite, who was curiously peering at the new man, sniffing towards him. "Gaa-ba!"  
"What is his name?" Sycamore asks. 'I'm normally not this talkative to people I don't know... But, I haven't met anyone new recently, either...' His train of thought confuses him, slightly, but he hides it behind admiration of the well-mannered Pyroar.  
"His name is Lisle." The man spoke, his voice a little gruff.  
"A beautiful name. This one is Corren." Judging by the age signs on each pokemon, Sycamore could tell that the pokemon where approximately the same age. Curious and Curiouser. The Gabite shrieks in delight, suddenly- as the mysterious man is running his hand down it's back. "Ga-baa~" Sycamore smiles. This man obviously treats his pokemon well, and any person who treats pokemon with that much respect cannot be a bad person. Soon, the waiter is back, carrying Sycamore's meal, as well as Corren's food.  
"Why, hello there sir. Nice to see you here again." The waiter nods towards the fiery-haired man, and Sycamore gleans that the man seems to frequent the place quite often. "I've never seen you here with anyone, though." The waiter winks at the man, and both Sycamore and the tall man give a confused look.  
"Oh- forgive me, I am overstepping my bounds." He bends low, bowing. "What would you and your pyroar like? The usual?" The man gave his courteous grin, and pulled a cushion out for the pyroar, Lisle.  
The tall man laughs a bit and shakes his head. "No- just met the man. But yes, the usual! Right, Lisle?" He turns to the pyroar, and the beast rumbles in a pleased manner. The man nods. The waiter scrawls something across his notepad, and lowers his head to Sycamore. "Enjoy your meal!" Then, the cyan-haired waiter is walking back into the store to relay the order. He seemed rather busy.  
Sycamore took this chance to make small talk. "So- you visit here often?" His gaze drifted past the strange man and his pyroar, towards the people on the street. However, the man kept his gaze directly on his eyes while talking to him, making Sycamore fairly nervous. "Well... l, I've been here three times, ordering the same meal every time, so I'm sure the boy is simply great at remembering customers." He seems like a sincere guy, judging by his answer.  
Sycamore glances at his food, but doesn't eat quite yet. He feels that it is rude to eat in front of someone else with no food at the moment. Corren, however, is pawing at his arm. "Do you want yours already, Cor?" The gabite whines a bit, so Sycamore opens the beast's meal, and places it down for him. "Be courteous now, Cor." The gabite glances over to the pyroar, which turns away from the food and bumps it's head against his owner's leg. Corren glances down at his food, and decides to wait.  
The man takes notice of this, and seems perplexed. "That gabite is very well trained, even through that healthy dose of curiosity." He nods.  
Sycamore finally allows his gaze to meet the man's and he nods. "I've known Corren since I was very young, I caught him not far from this town."  
"Did you come from here?" The man asks.  
"Oh- no of course not. Couriway is where I called home. You?" Sycamore is enjoying the warmth of the sun on his back, even with the soft breeze blowing through the area.  
"I've only been here the past three weeks. Still learning the ropes, but I learn quickly." The man says as he glances out across the street, and the professor takes a moment to breathe before that gaze returns over him. Sycamore is used to being watched, but this man didn't know who he was at all, which means that the attention is a normal part of conversation to him. Sycamore tries to use this knowledge to guess where the man came from, but it comes to no avail.  
"Oh, well, I've been here for two years now. Took me a while to learn the layout of the town, but I had plenty of help." Sycamore nods. "If you'd like help learning the layout of the town, I can show you around." It would be nice to make friends with someone that didn't instantly gauge his worth based upon his status, and since this man had only been here three weeks, Sycamore is sure that the man hasn't learned about who he is yet- at least enough to be able to pick him out on sight.  
Sycamore suddenly realizes that he might have insulted the man, so he locks eyes with him for a split second, hoping that he hadn't been rude. Sycamore found no distaste in the eyes, so he returns his gaze to the table. The man speaks, soothing Sycamore's nervousness. "I'd like that. I haven't really met anyone here, everyone is so busy."  
It is quiet. Then, the man speaks again, his voice taking on a far-away tone. "It is beautiful here."  
Sycamore looks around, the sunlight, a warmer afternoon. He wonders faintly if it would hurt if he took off of work this evening, just this once, to show this kind new person around. "Magnifique."  
"Magnificent in deed." The man smiles.  
Sycamore turns to him, curiousness in his eyes. "You- you know the language?"  
The man scoffs, the first non-genteel sound the professor has heard from the man. Sycamore would later find out that he came from a rather prestigious family, so he had learned quite a few bits here and there. "Somewhat."  
Sycamore is impressed with this man that speaks so little, it isn't often that people that have just met him actually joke with him. They are usually so nervous due to his chosen profession that they just answer his questions. Sycamore has gotten tired of that in the two years since he has became a full pokemon professor. He pets his gabite again. "It's not often that foreigners learn before coming here."  
The man raises an eyebrow. "I'm not a foreigner."  
Sycamore blinks, and looks up towards the man's eyes. "Yet you've never been in Lumiose?"  
The man seems to weigh his response for a moment before deciding how much information to give. "My parents moved a lot."  
"Ah." The professor nods, and the man gives the first look of obvious nervousness that Sycamore can tell is nervousness at the time. He decides not to address it. "Common issue. I'm guessing you probably didn't get to go on a pokemon journey, either, did you?"  
The man looks at him, and for a moment, a sheet of sincerity fell between the two. "No- I didn't. But I made up for it."  
Sycamore nods. "I went on mine, but ended it a bit early."  
The man looks befuddled. "Why would that be? You seem fairly experienced." The man means nothing by it, he gesticulates towards Corren.  
"Oh- well, I've... Studied a lot." Sycamore skirts around the real answer, and it is obvious. The man doesn't press, however.  
"One can never learn too much." The man nods. "I am in search of knowledge myself." Sycamore watches the man as he places a hand on the table- some sort of ring on his finger. It is socketed with... Is that? He blinks. The man is confused for a moment, and glances at Sycamore. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you recognized that."  
Color rises to Sycamore's cheeks. "I've... uh... I've heard of something like it." The man studies him carefully, and then sighs. Sycamore blinks. "Uh- erm, I uh."  
"You know who I am, don't you?" The man says, turning away, clearly looking for any way out of the area at all, if need be. Wishing he was any where but here. Sycamore shakes his head. "No, I don't. But I am familiar with the mechanics of that." He motions towards the ring. "I'd say that's Gyaradosite. We have gyarados in Couriway." The man turns to Sycamore, and watches him curiously. Finally deciding that the lab-coated man was not a threat, he settles back down. The entire time, his pyroar is calm, and purring. If anything had been wrong, Lisle would have been able to tell instantly.  
Sycamore looks past the man again, curious as to why the man was so nervous about anyone knowing him... No- not nervous, he realizes. Weary. Like himself. The connection is immediate. He looks up at him. "Oh- here comes your food." They drop the conversation. The waiter is back, and presenting the food to the fiery-haired man. Sycamore begins to work on his own food as soon as the man and his pyroar begin on theirs, and the gabite is incredibly excited to begin working on his own food. "Ga-baa!"  
The pyroar is a calm eater, slowly guarding his food and chewing carefully. However, Corren is sloppy, excited about the taste.  
Sycamore savors his meal, and Corren is finished much quicker. He sniffs around, stretching out luxuriously on the cushion. Every so often, Sycamore finds himself looking up at the strange man, who puts his hand in front of his mouth as he chews. This interests Sycamore, it's not usual. He tilts his head to the side, lightly. The man catches him watching, and seems to become more reserved. Sycamore realizes that the man probably doesn't eat near people very often. Both he and his pyroar are guarded eaters. Interesting.  
When the eating slowed, Sycamore allowed himself to check his timepiece, amazed that he was already over his lunch break. Oh well, he wasn't worried about it, he wasn't getting anywhere with his work anyway, and this had become much more interesting than that. He had forever to work, but he'd miss his chance at a friendship not forged upon his name if he went in to work. He flipped out a phone, and called a quick number, turning away from the man, who was still eating, politely. He called the receptionist.  
"Hello there- this is Lumiose Labs, how may we help you?"  
"Erm, I won't be coming back into work this evening." Sycamore tried to keep quiet. The man didn't seem to mind.  
"Oh- professor!" She says, and he can feel her worry from the tone of her voice. "Is everything okay?"  
"Yes, yes- we are okay, it's just... Something came up." His voice was calm, quiet.  
"Alrighty sir, I'm sure no one here will mind. Did you hear?" Her voice is excited now that she isn't worried. This woman was far too nice.  
"Umm... Hear about what?" He is curious now, which catches the eye of the man. He can feel the gaze burrow into his soul.  
"It's Malorie- she and that Ollie boy have hooked up!" Ah, that is right. Yes, the receptionist is best friends with Miss Maple.  
"That's great! Give them my best. I've got to go." He says, and his smile is warm. The man across from him turns his attention back to his lunch.  
"Yes-sir, I will do! Take care now, good luck with whatever it is!" She hangs up, and he slips the phone back into his pocket. He turns to the gabite. "Are you done down there?" Corren looks up at him, his tail wagging. "Did you enjoy it?" The gabite gives a hearty rumble, and stands up. "Gaba, Bite!" Corren rubs it's orange tummy, drawing the fiery-man's cool eyes to it.  
"What a glorious shade of orange." He mentions, before finishing off the last of his meal. He sits back, looking content. Sycamore nods. "It's not the usual color for them, but it's still really neat." Sycamore's voice is quiet- most of the people from the lunch hour are gone now, all back to work. Sycamore stands up, stretching, as the Waiter comes back to take the dishes. "Did you two enjoy your meal-" he blushed deeply. "Erm... Meals." Sycamore chuckles as the waiter quickly immerses himself in the work of cleaning the table.  
"That was great, send compliments to the chef." Sycamore says, and begins to fish for his wallet, his intention on buying the man's meal for him. However, the man beats him to it.  
"Here, I'll pay." The fiery-haired man says, handing over the amount.  
"But- wait a minute, we weren't even-" Sycamore swallows and looks away, his cheeks burning. The fiery-haired man pays anyway, and looks at Sycamore, trying to figure out what he was thinking under all of that crimson.  
The fiery man shrugs. "The least I can do- you are the first person I've met here."  
Sycamore turns on his heels, back to face the fiery-man. "Really?" He swallows, and the man's gaze falls on his adam's apple. "I mean, you are very... Kind, and um... It looks like someone would have talked to you by now." Sycamore sighs. 'Great. Now I sound like an idiot.' He looks down at the ground.  
"Ha- talk to me, yes. Impress me? No." He stands, and Sycamore realizes exactly how much taller the tall man is than him. He shudders imperceptibly, the labcoat hiding it. He absentmindedly strokes the top of his gabite's head. The pyroar stands up, and rubs itself against the fiery man's leg, before rubbing against the professor's as well. Sycamore chuckles. "Lisle, do you want attention too?"  
A rumbling sound is issued, and soon, the pyroar and the gabite are both being petted. Sycamore loves pokemon. The taller man smiles at this, unable to keep a straight face while watching his noble pokemon taking to someone so well. "I have never seen Lisle act like this before." However, with someone else petting his pokemon, he decides that he might as well give the gabite some attention from himself. He outstretches a hand towards Corren, and the gabite pushes it's head past his hand, and to his forehead.  
Then, a bright light nearly blinded Sycamore. He turned away, the pyroar stepped back, raising it's tail. "Wah?" The professor blinked, and turned towards the light, which slowly dimmed.  
"Corren?" When his eyes adjusted, he realized that the fiery man had backed up two full steps, and that his gabite was now a garchomp, a full two feet taller than it was before the change. "Corren, you. You evolved?" Sycamore stepped forward, and grinned. He turned to the fiery-haired man, who looked sheepish. "You are really amazing with pokemon." Sycamore's youth really shows.  
"You aren't... angry with me?" The man was perplexed.  
"Oh- no, I've been trying to get him to evolve for years..." Sycamore reaches out, and touches the dragon. Corren chuffs, and purrs, rubbing into the touch. "You are amazing, Corren." The garchomp hides it's face in it's forelimbs again. Sycamore smiles even wider, and laughs. Same old Corren!  
The man is stroking his pyroar's mane, and looking nervously away.  
"Say- how about Corren and I show you around the city? Since you've been so kind." Sycamore smiles, tossing his hands into his pockets. The fiery haired man looks down at his pyroar, contemplating.  
"Don't you have somewhere to go?" He asks, his voice had a tinge of sadness to it.  
Sycamore shakes his head. "Took off for the rest of the day. I need a break anyway."  
The fiery haired man studies him, curiously, his eyes searching for something to tip him off to what is going on. "Well, it can't hurt any, and I might as well know where everything is here." He nods. "What do you think, Lisle?" The pyroar rumbles a calm reply. Well, that settles it. The two begin to walk away from the cafe, their pokemon trotting beside them companionably. "Say, what is your name?"  
Sycamore turns to him, and turns a light shade of pink. "You won't believe me if I tell you. Doesn't matter anyway."  
"Well, I can understand that." He turns his scrutiny away from the lab-coated man. "I hate telling people my name, they act completely different."  
Sycamore nods. "Same here, actually."  
The man is suddenly interested. "Hmm... Well, since we are both the same, I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."  
Sycamore sighs, and smiles ever so slightly at this, enjoying the company. "Well, they call me a Professor. I'm Augustine." He awaited the strange looks he normally received about this point, but received none. This made him much less tense.  
The fiery man laughed, heartily, warmly, instead. Suddenly, warmth spread into Sycamore's chest, and he was unsure exactly what that meant. The man answered, "My name is Lysandre." They stop on the sidewalk and look at each-other. "So that's why you knew of my mega-ring. That's your field of study. I should have guessed, with the gabite and all."  
"Lysandre... Hmm... Beautiful name- family name, I presume?" Sycamore is sure that the name was not all that he was given from such a prestigious family.  
The man chuckles a bit. "In a derived way. I prefer it to my given name. Never really enjoyed being referred to by my father's name."  
Sycamore turns away now, towards the building in front of him. He smiles, looking up to the third floor window he'd just been looking out of longingly earlier. "This is my lab. You see up there-" His hand gestures towards the top floor. "That is where I spend most of my time. Not exactly the most interesting of jobs. I always preferred field work." Sycamore's eyes swim with happiness. Lysandre looks up there with a form of pity.  
"I can relate. No one likes being cooped up when they can see something beautiful instead."

Sycamore simply nods, and leads the man off to show him further landmark buildings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs Listened To During Writing:  
> 1\. 'By The Way' by Theory of a Deadman  
> 2\. 'Silver and Cold' by A Fire Inside
> 
> Sycamore is infinitely more difficult to write in the point-of-view of than Lysandre, even more-so when he is exhausted and has no where to turn.
> 
> Flashbacks are fun, and this one is in Third Person for ease of characterization. Tons of OCs in this chapter.


	4. The Dethroning

Xerosic trots faster to catch up with me as I walk away, and I guard myself, my shoulders raised. I can already feel the pyroar in me rumbling, shaking his mane. He turns around in front of me, and stops. I simply opt to walk past him. “Xerosic, get a move on. We have important things to work on, now is not the time.” My voice is low, dangerous. I can feel anger rising in my chest, my fingers tingle. As I begin to brush past him, I realize something I hadn't noticed before, and it is a folly to have been distracted. We had long since passed into the Magenta Plaza, which is currently empty- normal at a time like this. However, the other scientists are now blocking the entrances from all sides to the plaza. They had not been there mere moments before. I am shocked at my own lack of planning for something like this.  
I startle, and turn around- Mable is blocking the opening I’d taken in. “Huh- what? Mable?” Her body is rigid, face unreadable. She turns her head slightly, the eerie blue of her visor obscuring any emotion. I turn again. “Bryony?” She stands tall, powerful. I take a step back, and her gaze follows me. “Aliana- you too?” She steps forward, and I cannot help but suck in breath. Then, to my left. “Celosia…” She is leaning against the wall, her feet against the other side. Her head is cocked, and she watches. "What are you..."  
I am corralled on all sides. Xerosic, now standing taller than normal, turns towards me, and for once, I can see a bit of emotion painted across his features. Arrogance. It dawns on me what is going on- like in a pride of pyroar, the less experienced male was attempting to usurp the leader. The female pyroar are throwing me out. They step forward, reigning me in tighter. I turn my back to a building, where I can see all four women, and Xerosic at the same time. This position will give me the most protection. I clench my fists, and pull them up in-front of my chest, close to my chin, taking a steady stance. “Xerosic… Not when it is so close to time. We can do this after we get the job done.” I am growling beneath my breath, the hair on the back of my neck is standing, and I am uptight, wound up suddenly. I should have expected this, should have planned...  
He steps forward, they all step forward. I weigh my options, Fight or Flight. Flight is not an option right now, not when it is so close that I can taste it to all my work coming to fruition, not with the minute chances of actually getting away being so insignificantly tiny. I raise my fists higher, and shift my weight to my front leg, before letting my left arm drop. Ready to feint with my right and use my speed to catch the male scientist off guard, I plan on catching him with the left.  
Xerosic merely smiles. “No- now, now, no fighting, Lysandre. Be civil.” He steps forward again, and twists to the right. I move to the right as well. We circle each-other, and I feel the women standing firm behind me as I pass each one. I am not in a very empowering position, and I can already feel the tides shifting. “I'm not going to kick you out. You are needed, yes, very much needed.” He cups his chin in his hand for a moment, his goggles flashing red at my eyes. I do not blink, however. I stand, undaunted, and keep my face unreadable.  
“Then what do you want, Xerosic.” I breathe it out, it is not a question, it is a command. I still hold the power here. However he is not backing away. His advance is steady.  
“Ah-ah-ah, I call the shots. Hush up now. I will explain myself in time.” He stops twisting, and my most trusted scientists all step closer in, closing the ring around us. They are silent, and I can hear myself breathe, my heart beating out a drum-line. I swallow, and I'm sure all of them can see my nervousness springing from his resolve. However, my face is showing nothing but distaste. I close my mouth, and wait.  
He watches me closely, and steps all too close. I make a move to hit him, but stop myself when the women step even closer, all of them brimming with intent to jump in if I try anything. He whisks out a gloved hand, and touches me. I shake, and the women smirk in unison. He lifts my chin, despite being shorter than me, and I close my eyes for just a moment- I overflow with sheer disgust, the emotion threatens to flare my temper. He was not looking to harm me, only to ridicule. With this knowledge, I calm myself. Only slightly however, as I am sure that they will be attempting to catch me off my guard- and will strike at any moment. My muscles quiver from being held taut too long, but I keep myself tense. Xerosic stands there, not stepping back or moving at all. Unreadable. I could spit on his goggles from here- even on the top of his head, in fact. He isn't a tall man.  
”You are weak, Lysandre. You don't have enough pure ruthlessness to finish the job at hand.” He seems to appraise me for a moment, before unzipping my jacket with his other hand, one fell swoop. The biting wind, even in the closed off plaza, shears into me. I shudder, but stay silent. My chest is bare. The cold and embarrassment combine to turn my cheeks red, something that is actually difficult to accomplish. I hear laughter all around me, and I am utterly alone. Singled out. I fight the roaring urge to run. “Don't get me wrong, Lysandre, we can do this ourselves. You aren't needed in that manner.” I swear I can feel the sensation of all of their eyes taking me in at once, and it burns. I hate the cold, I hate the demeaning, and I hate being unguarded. I choke in my throat, but stay quiet for a moment longer, until after the laughing stops.  
"I’ll KILL you, Xerosic.” My voice is monotoned, flat-lined. I mean every word with an intense fire.  
"You- Kill? Me? You cannot even kill a weak idiot, not even when he lays prone in front of you. Terrible display, Lysandre. I'd expect higher from your noble blood.” Xerosic scoffs, a hint as to what he is really thinking. He says my name with a sneer, and the women are silent again. I can see, directly in front of me, Celosia and Bryony both crossing their arms over their chests. I have no idea if the other two are also standing so guarded, because they are beyond my peripheral view. Xerosic makes a full circle around me, and lays two fingers on the bare portion of my neck. I fight the urge to be sick. Fire burns beneath my skin, fighting with the cold of his gloved hand, and the disgusting warmth of his un-gloved hand. I swallow, and he smiles. That makes me shudder. “Oh- Lysandre.” He mimics, and I blink- confused. Fighting a gasp, I grit my teeth. "Je t'aime..." His voice is a poor mockery, but there is no denying who he is mimicking. Had he been? How did he know? About Sycamore and I… Being-  
The gasp escapes me despite my wishes, and the women chuckle around me. They mimic in turn, several varying but all-too-terrible mockeries of Sycamore’s voice, his declarations of love, his sighs, blending together so that I cannot hear the words individually. I shake my head, tearing away from the vile scientist's touch. “HOW DARE- How dare you?” My voice’s intensity shocks me, and then it trembles. “Y-you… You watched?” My pulse jumps, all the calm from earlier beginning to seep out of me. How could anyone- that was... Personal.  
I've never heard the man laugh before, but now I have, I wish I hadn't. It chills me deeper than the wind does. He quiets down, and the women are quiet, but their faces are twisted cruelly. “Oh, we've watched. We've watched for a long time. Couldn't let our precious asset be lead astray, could we?” He doesn't glance around to the rest, but I can see at least a few nodding to him. “No- no, we could not.” He shakes his head, and steps forward running a hand up and over my shoulder. I hiss, twisting away from him, nearly backing into Aliana. She stands stark still behind me, undaunted by my height. “What now? Lysandre- it didn't bother you when he did it? What makes it so different now?”  
I’m all too cold. It is getting difficult not to cover my chest, all of the humiliation and bad weather beginning to make it difficult for me to concentrate. Inside, all I can think about is ‘Run, Run, Run- Hide, Cover up. Fight, Destroy, RUN.’ However, I stand still, though a small tremble escapes me. I can think of a thousand reasons at once as to why it is so different. It is incredibly cold, there are four people watching, and you are -not- Augustine. I allow nothing to show. It is beginning to bother me that I cannot see his eyes behind his goggles, so I cannot tell what he is thinking. He steps forward, and the ring of women around me steps in yet again. Too much more, and I’ll be completely surrounded by bodies, and something about that makes my dinner threaten to rise.  
”Watching you bring him to your little hiding place, tailing you, was not difficult. I've been watching you walk home for a while now, keeping tags on when you visit our little Professor pet, keeping tags on your mannerisms. We have to watch you like a hawk, because you are so unpredictable.” The knowledge he imparts makes me withdraw instantly, pulling my arms around myself, feeling naked- not nude, but naked. “We hacked and bugged the place the first time we found it- we've been watching it every since. We saw EVERYTHING-” His voice is suddenly grand. “That happened last night. I’d been guessing at how you were getting information out of him for a while now… We’d taken bets on what exactly you did for him. Only I had thought you have been fucking our little songbird. My comrades here had a consensus that you’d been paying him, or perhaps helping with his little projects on the side, since we are so far ahead of him.”  
“How long ago?” I ask. I have to know. My privacy is important to me immeasurably.  
Xerosic bellows, and I can feel myself snarl. “Like it matters, but long enough ago for me to watch your precious Magikarp evolve.” Something in his voice is malevolent. Distaste drenches the tone.  
My heart sinks, and I feel myself pale, suddenly, despite the embarrassment. There were so many things I had done in that time frame- private things. I hate Xerosic more than anything else, more than any other evil that exists. This, this was worse than looking into Holocaster conversations. This is very private, more personal.  
He takes a pause, and glances out over the women, but I don’t move. I’m far too shocked. I’m unsure if it bothers me more that they know, or that this could mean something far, far more devastating than I had previously thought. “Only I’d figured you weren’t quite the ladies’ man. Lysandre, your parents would hate to find out that their only heir had never planned on giving them grandchildren, wouldn’t they?” I cannot keep myself from frowning when he mentioned my parents. He was beginning to push me a little to far, so he backed off. I could easily become physically dangerous to him if he pushed me too far in any one direction. He could sense my temper flare, I know.  
“Oh- your parents aren’t what I was going to talk about anyway, Lysandre. Not at all. No- we are going to talk about what you are good for.” The tone his voice takes makes my stomach twist. I’d step back if Aliana wasn’t so close to behind me, and now I cannot turn either way. I’m trapped. He steps forward, and whispers too close to my ear. “You, Lysandre, are what everyone joined Team Flare for. You brought everyone-” He walks two fingers up my arm, and at this point, I’m beginning to let go of reality, to hide within my mind. “Here together. All of the members, the admins… They jump at your word. You happen to have made quite the large number of friends, despite your privacy.” He brushes his goggles against my chin, and I’m finally at the breaking point, staving myself off from screaming or exploding into rage only by biting my cheek. “You even brought us together- the Scientists!” Blood is drawn fairly quickly, and I begin to calm down just slightly, sliding away from him mentally. The other scientists express their excitement about being in on the plan with varied replies to him. The voices threaten to send me over the fence towards rage.  
“You, my friend, are going to be the figurehead. You will ‘lead’ the others up until the machine finally works, and then- my friend, you will kill yourself and all of the others- all but us five.” He lingers, for a moment, before stepping back, allowing me to drift back into the middle of the circle. I feel less protected, as there is no way I can turn my back to not have one of the others behind me. All of them are strong, there is no weakest link in the ring.  
Rebellion roars within me, suddenly, one last burst of my pride. “I refuse to follow any orders from you-” It suddenly makes sense to me, what their goals are. They want to see the world burn. They aren’t looking to nullify the evil, to make the world beautiful. How did they keep me at an arm’s length, to keep me from noticing this? I should have known… However, it is my fault. I don't let anyone in at all. “In fact, I’m calling this off. I will not do something so vile as to what you are alluding to!” My caring instincts are kicking in. I won't let them destroy anything that isn't completely necessary to fix the problem. Pokemon? Only because it is necessary to protect them. Non-Team Flare members? A must. But everything? Everyone? And to what end? Destruction? No… Eternal Life. They want Eternal life.  
My eyes open wide, and I swallow. “Eternal Life. You bastards- how dare you-“  
They exchange looks. “All in the name of the pursuit of knowledge, it would be so much easier to experiment if the only people on the world are us- all working to find the mysteries of the universe out- and no one to destroy it before we can investigate! Only me, and my pride here will exist.” He glances over the women, a look of arrogance and pride shining from the corners of his mouth. As he turns his attention away from me for all of a few split seconds, I take the initiative to leap at him. My coat hits the ground behind me, and I am acutely aware of the rustle as it touches the brick, of the cursed bareness of my body. Now, I am completely exposed from the waist up to the top of my neck. I'm thankful for my beard and cravat- less of a weakness there. Suddenly, I am upon him, and I just keep hitting him. I can feel shards of glass hit my right hand as I strike his goggles, my ring catches on a rim as I pull back- slinging the goggles in a wide arc away from him. The catch causes the damage to his face from the shattered goggles to be minimal... However, I am pleased to see that the red glass shimmers with blood for a moment as it travels the arc in the cold air. Then I deliver a left to his cheekbone- I feel the zygomatic arch give a bit of leeway with a sickening crunch. Score. That was going to bruise for sure, probably worse if I am lucky.  
The other scientists jump on me, pulling me off, holding me back and down. I spit blood, and it is a beauteous crimson. A passionate color. “You- mother fucking, you awful, you evil, VILE-” He simply looks at me, and for once, I see his eyes. He looks only mildly surprised at me as I attempt to push the others off of me, but I’m far too weak now to do so- I knew I'd only have a short time, so I put all my energy into that tiny time-frame. The women are strong, as expected. We both breathe heavily, my back aches from hitting the ground as my adrenaline begins to slowly abate. He picks himself off of the ground rather too easily, and shakes his head. I can see a cut above his left eye, and a red spot on his cheek, and that gives me immense satisfaction. He doesn't wince, however. I am sure that bone is broken though. I would win in a fist-fight, I know. I also have him beat intellectually- he would have been able to get this far without me pulling all of their weights. They would have gotten no where without my funding, my resources, my knowledge, and my work.  
“You just don’t surprise me anymore, Lysandre. Boring. You never quite understand when the odds are not in your favor. Or maybe you want to be dead, I'm beginning to wonder.” He stands over me, and I turn away from him- at his height, his lower half is all I can see, and I will not disgrace myself enough to look up into his eyes from this low. Either way, it’s one or the other, and I will not allow him any more power over me than he already has. “However, you will do as I say. You probably already know why…”  
I blink, unable to concentrate. Why would I do such a thing?  
“You should have killed him, Lysandre- like I advised you to do. It would have been a much more fitting and beautiful death, something more personal and tender. However, now, the man can have one of two fates, and you decide which one of them. Whatever happens to him is completely on your shoulders.” He bends down, and pulls my chin up, I close my eyes to keep from looking into his. “The Professor will die at the hands of the machine, just as you will, and though it will be impersonal and distanced, you will be the reason for his death. You will feel better about it this way, I am sure.” He taps a foot. “Or-” I finally open my eyes, to see him smiling, his eyes burning me like the flames of Hell. “I will go meet him, in person. I’m sure he’s never met me before… I am a much, much more cruel man than you, Lysandre. Much, much more of a man.” He smiles. “He woke up as soon as you left, you know? Seems to be staying put for now. He called out for you.”  
My jaw goes slack, for the first time since I was a child and Father smacked me for leaving it agape. ‘That look is unbecoming of you, son. You shame me.’ Father's words ring in my ears, even as my eyes widen. The implications are obvious- and my heart stops. No. No, anything but that. Tears well in my eyes. Not Sycamore. Kill me instead, anything but that.  
"You wouldn't Dare." I growl.  
"I would." His voice is steady.  
A few precious moments slide by as I go over my options. There is little I can do, the only viable option is to do as he asks. If it had been me being threatened, I'd have taken the punishment. However, the thought of Xerosic ending Augustine sickens me. I should have just killed him back when I had the chance, so that he wouldn't feel it. Whatever Xerosic plans to do, I am sure it is far more vile than any death I can stand to impart. Fine. I shudder. “I-… I’ll do it.” My soul crumbles, I’m done. I avert my gaze to the bright brick of the ground, and a tear passes my cheek. The scientists holding me down step away.  
“Good, good… Because if not…” I don’t see it coming quick enough to react.  
I feel a blinding strike to the side of my head, and everything suddenly falls away. Stars explode in my vision, everything fades darkly.  
The brick is a little warm, but I don’t feel myself hitting it any further than that. Part of me is thankful. Part of me fears that I won’t live to finish the deed, to keep Augustine relatively safe.  
My vision dims completely, and turns to an abyssal nothingness. Then, I can no longer hear correctly, the various laughters blending into one and suddenly sounding vaguely like pokemon cries. I feel myself slipping away, and sigh comfortably. Anywhere, anywhere but here- a world where I go to sleep without Augustine next to me.  
’Heh- he’s out cold!’ someone says, but it’s probably just a dream. I cannot even tell the gender of the disembodied voice.

\-----------------------

I wake up, startled, to the sound of an alarm. I rub my eyes, and feel uncomfortable in general- too cold. The covers seem to have slid off of me during the night. I roll over to the side of the bed, and pick up the coverlet, wrapping myself up in it. I hear a rumbling sound, and smile broadly. “Lisle- how was your sleep?” I can feel the pyroar licking my hand, and the raspy texture makes me laugh heartily. Lisle purrs, and I run my fingers over his skull. “I see that you slept well… Well, ready for some breakfast?” I slip out of bed, stretching, feeling safe. The room is dark, and secure. I am beginning to get more used to this town, now that it has been around a year. The sounds of the city are less startling, the area is more familiar. The carpeting feels nice under my feet, and I contemplate the pile. Should I have bought a thicker carpet? I like how it feels on my feet, so I decide that I made the right decision with it.  
Lisle roars, in a soft manner, rubbing up against my leg and side, pushing his forehead to my hand. I pat him and then swat him away. “Go get the others, Lisle. I’m sure they will be hungry too. Be quick about it though, we have much to do today!” I’m quickly getting dressed, even more quickly once I hear Ysire wake up. He always squawks so loudly! Suddenly, I hear a crash and cringe. “Guys, calm down! I’m coming, I’m coming.” I dart out of the door, and call out, “What did you break this time? Don’t I tell you all to be calm in the mornings?” I lean lightly on the door-frame, still a bit clouded by sleep. When I finally focus, I realize that a vase has been shattered- one of those dreadful ones Mother sent me when I finally got out of that unique purgatory that had been my childhood home. My Honchkrow, Ysire, looks up at me sheepishly from his perch next to where the vase had been sitting. Lisle just looks at the Honchkrow with a rumble that sounds suspiciously like laughter. My mienfoo Colsen is rolling about on the carpet, obviously amused. I’m sure that he had been chasing Ysire when the vase was broken.  
Across the room, my magikarp watches us from his aquarium, which fills up most of the building. He’s small now, but I’m sure he’ll be too big to fit in it once he evolves. “Did you see what happened, Nero?” If the magikarp does, he’s not saying anything. I bust into laughter. “Crisis averted, guys. You’re all off the hook. But calm down before you break something important.” I only playfully scold them, taking the quick moment to clean up the pieces. It is not difficult, it shattered on the tile of the kitchen, so a quick sweep is all that is needed. After this is done, I start pulling out the preferred breakfasts for all of my pokemon, quickly. Lisle stretches out in front of the door protectively, and Ysire seems to be preening himself. Colsen is… “Colsen- calm down now, boy…” I quickly stop what I am doing to keep him from climbing the curtains. I cannot stay mad at him though, because he is incredibly young. He’d been bred by a breeder, and I’d picked him up because he was the last one in the batch- all of his siblings had been taken away, and he seemed lonely.  
I sigh. Yup, that’s me alright, the bleeding heart.  
I turn back towards the food, and get this odd sense of déjà vu. Haven’t I already done this? I shake the feeling, and poor the gravy in with the meat, setting down the bowl next to my oldest pokemon, Lisle. He guards his food away from Colsen, who watches with curiosity. “Don’t think about it, Colsen- I’m getting you yours in a second.” Next, I’m giving a large amount of thick seeds and a rattata filet to Ysire, who caws at me and begins eating instantly. “Rude, Ysire. You couldn’t even wait a second?” I hurry up with a second rattata filet for Colsen. “Here you go, little buddy.” He takes the food and eats it with haste. I shake my head, and look at Lisle. “Are you not going to eat yet, Lisle?” The pyroar shakes his head. “Ah, waiting for Nero. You two are going to be best friends, I’m sure.” Nero is one of my newest aquisitions, I caught him in Couriway a few months ago, while visiting the Professor. Nero doesn’t look it, but he is a powerful pokemon. When he jumped out of the lake, apparently trying to scale the waterfall, he knocked me completely down. I’d scowled at that, Sycamore had laughed.  
I treasure that memory.  
Nero has since been a close companion to me. I open up feeding tray in the aquarium, and poor in a liberal amount of live krill for him to chase, and close it. “Have fun, Nero.” I know he loves them. I keep them in a different tank elsewhere, then again- most water pokemon trainers keep some kind of live bait for them, so it’s not odd at all. When I turn back, Lisle is eating, Colsen is poking at him playfully, and Ysire is back to preening. “Vain bird…” I say. He seems to have something shiny around his neck. “Oh, heaven forbid… You better not have stolen that.” The honchkrow stuffs it back into his neck fluff where I cannot see it. I sigh. “You guys are a mess.” Only after all my pokemon are fed do I begin working on my own breakfast, I decide on something light. Coffee, and perhaps a slice of toast. Since leaving home, I’ve hated having a large breakfast, so that is that.  
After the breakfast, I take a look at all of my pokemon, quickly brushing down Colson and Lisle. Lisle must have slept awkwardly last night, because his mane is knotted, so it takes longer than usual to make it perfect. At this point, everyone is calmed down, less energetic. I smile, and ask aloud. “Which one of you wants to go with me today?” Colson runs to hide in his nook. He’s still very shy, and feels odd about being outside without a pokeball. “It’s okay Colson, we’ll work on that later.” I look between Ysire and Lisle, both of which I know will love where I am going today. “You two. Why don’t you both come with me? I’m sure Colson will mind perfectly well with one of you not watching him…” Ysire caws, and Lisle purrs. “We are going to go see the Professor today. He says he has something he wants to show me. Probably some new theory, don’t you think?”  
Lisle completely loves Sycamore, so I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. However, Ysire has always been much more interested in playing with Corren, and teasing him. The two are nearly inseparable. I smile, and stand, stretching. “We have to hurry though, because we are nearly late already because of the vase fiasco.” At this, we take our leave. Ysire flies out of the door and over the town, one of his legs glittering. I smile- that was a gift from my father. What a good place for it too, around the ankle of one of my most close companions. Ysire loves shiny things, and the impersonal and embarrassing gold-and-ruby signet ring had been perfect for the little murkrow I was trying to win the comaraderie of after catching. I’m sure he uses it to attract the lady Honchkrows when I’m not around. It’s one of those trainer-pokemon feelings that I get quite often- I’m sure that he does.  
Lisle rumbles beside me, walking perfectly at heel. He’s calm and secure, keeping a watchful eye out for me. I quickly integrate us into the sidewalk from a back door, trying to make it look normal that I just melded out of a back-alley. Honestly, no one in this town notices it anyway, because they are all so busy going from one place to another. I love the lack of attention, it is refreshing. People go around Lisle and I, as we walk on the sidewalk. They are only slightly startled at his rumbling, it is just enough to keep them from touching him. I’m sure he won’t hurt anyone, but Lisle actually really dislikes being touched. I’m unsure if that is a throwback from me, or if it is for an entirely different reason.  
I can see the lab from this distance, so cold and strange. It has always bothered me in it’s lack of warmth, but the third floor is always filled with something that makes my chest fill with some feeling I’m unfamiliar with. Even now I glance up at that window and breathe out with a small smile. Suddenly, that sense… I’ve done this exact same thing in the exact same way before…  
My pyroar looks up at me, and rumbles a triumphant roar before barreling down the sidewalk. I call out, “HEY- Lisle, what has gotten into you?” I chase him down, surprised as he runs past the laboratory. “Lisle- the lab’s this way!” Wait, is that? It is. “Professor- what are you doing out so early?” I’d purposefully come early so that I could meet him in the building. That third floor has become rather iconic for me.  
Sycamore turns to me, and grins. “Bonjour! I said I was going to show you something, so I was waiting for you.” He is wearing one of his many different labcoats- different from the last time I saw him, though, because I remember accidentally spilling something or another on it (I’m thinking it was coffee…). With that thought, I wonder lightly if this is one of the newer ones I had sent up to him the other day. He studies my face for a moment, and when I look into his eyes I realize he is a little pale, so I’m sure that it is.  
“Say, Augustine, have you see Ysire?” I glance up to the sky and put a hand over my eyes so that the sunlight isn’t as blinding. I’m acutely aware that since Sycamore is here, everyone is suddenly paying more attention to me, or perhaps it is just him. Even now the thought of other people watching my friend here bothers me. “I brought him with me too, but you know how he is.”  
“I’m sure we will see him very soon. Corren took off a bit ago- I’m sure that they are off sparring somewhere, or something.” The professor looks worried, as I look towards him. He looks away. I’ve always thought it odd that he doesn’t look me in the eye nearly ever. He continues. “I just hope they don’t run into any faerie pokemon again… Last time was terrible.”  
I cannot help but laugh at this. I can remember the moment very well. I push it from my mind, however, when I hear a strong “Kr-ow!” I glance around, and smile heartily as I see a honchkrow, it’s foot glistening, divebombing a rather large and shimmering Garchomp. “There they are now.” Sycamore turns towards them, and I catch the glimpse of a gorgeous smile.  
There goes that tight feeling in my chest again! I cannot for the life of me figure out what it is. However, it’s not too unpleasent. I whisper, to Lisle, “I wonder what they were up to.” Lisle rumbles at me, and I stroke his back absentmindedly. “Troublemakers. Aren’t they getting a little old for that?” I mumble, as Sycamore runs to meet them. I find myself chasing after him, and Lisle after me. Lisle quickly catches up to speed, and outruns both Sycamore and I. This makes me laugh for some reason, and for a moment, I’m a child again, breathing in and feeling a light sensation in my chest. Lisle hasn’t been this athletic since he was a litleo. After this, I realize that I am quickly gaining on the professor, and I pass him easily.  
“Woah there- Lysandre.” Sycamore puts on an extra burst of speed, and suddenly we are running side-by-side. I smile. It’s been a while since I’ve had an equal.  
After a moment, we skid to a stop, breathing heavily. I’m still giddy, and it catches the attention of the professor. He looks at me questioningly. “Don’t tire yourself out, we still have somewhere to go.”  
I’d nearly forgotten about that in all the excitement. I call out- “YSIRE.” I whistle. “Come here!” The duo above us stops and hovers, giving eachother looks. Then, they both swoop down… Oh- oh no. I drop to the ground and roll, instinctively, as the Honchkrow playfully dive-bombs me. “Hey- hey, Cut that out!” I pull myself to my feet, and glance over at the professor, who is already patting Corren gently. “You are getting too big for that, monsieur.” He scolds the garchomp playfully. “Gar-gar.” The garchomp is shaking it’s tail massively, and I’m very glad that this was a less busy part of town.  
“Now that we are all here…” Sycamore is brushing himself off, and I cannot help but realize that he left a tag, of all things, still on the labcoat. Yup, one of the ones I sent. Makes me proud.  
“Here, let me get that for you.” I pull it off gently, suddenly aware of how close I am to him. He is standing stark still, nervous as I can see. It finally hits me how odd that is, that he is nervous...  
\---  
'But- wait, why would he be nervous?' That doesn't make sense, seeing how comfortable we are with each-other now.' That… That feeling of I’ve been here suddenly strikes me hard. 'Wait- this is... This is a memory! What am I doing in a memory? This is at least five years ago... What is going on?'  
I feel disembodied for a moment, floating above myself picking the tag off of Sycamore. I watch myself hand it to him and the me-below grins. I watch as Augustine’s worry melts away. From this angle, his rapidly melting worry sends a pang into my chest… But I remember that I felt at the time like I’d stepped my bounds with him. I regretted the action at the time. I watch Augustine speak, his voice in my head. “Come with me, I’ll show you something.” The memory of it is fresh and delicious. Suddenly, I remember which memory this is- one I hold very dear in my heart. It makes me nervous, though. Why this memory?  
The thought of it is tantalizing.

'Wait- can I... Can I fast-forward this, or something?'  


My curiousness is rewarded as jarringly, I watch myself and Sycamore gingerly walk faster and faster, until the scene is whizzing by. Lisle’s steps are even suddenly- no limp on the back left leg. Corren walks much more fluidly, his body swaying harmonically. Ysire’s wing-beats are a blur. This is… This is amazing.

'I wonder... I wonder if I can freeze it?'  


Everything stops instantly, and I can see a split smile on sycamore’s face. Absolutely amazing. I can watch his happiness forever, and no one can stop me. However, this isn’t the exact moment I’m thinking about abusing this strange situation. I wonder if I am having a dream. I’ve been lucid in dreams plenty of times before, but this is somehow different.  
I remember that day was the day that Augustine brought me to the sanctuary, a pokemon sanctuary. One that he apparently visited very often, judging at the time by the workers’ reactions to him, and by Corren’s familiarity with the pokemon that had been there. I watch myself sit beside Sycamore on a bench, and am amazed by how far away I kept myself from the man, how I’d crossed my arms, and leaned back. 'Was I always that guarded with him?' I fast forward through the conversation, watching myself below slowly edge closer to the professor. At the time, I didn’t even notice I was doing it. I watch myself watch Ysire and Corren playing, and the me-below strokes Lisle with a gentle hand. Sycamore watches the hand curiously.  
I slow down the feed for a moment, and wonder… 'Can I... Can I feel that again? Do I get to be first person in this show again?' Suddenly, suddenly I’m being sucked back into my body.  
\---  
“Lisle, what has gotten into you?” I say, as I reach down and pet the pyroar. He cuddles his head between my leg and Sycamore’s. I feel two distinct feelings now- the nervousness I’d felt in the true memory, and the distinct emotion I’m having now- a tightening in my chest. Anticipation and Anxiety mix strongly. It’s nearly enough to give me a pang of pain. I lean down, just as Augustine does… We meet.  
The briefest interval. Suddenly, I’m hyper-aware. The grass is soft and green, the sun is warm, Sycamore is warmer beside me, on my lips. He tastes of coffee and something vaguely spicy. I tremble, sending the shock through my form- I’m glad my pants are loose on me. The pokemon’s various cries are engulfing, the wind whistles through the trees high above our heads, but all is still this close to the ground. I savor this moment forever- this moment of being able to relive one of the happiest moments in my life. However, it is short lived. I can feel myself separate from memory-me, the differing emotions ejecting me.  
\---  
I watch myself jump up, nearly fall over Lisle, make an excuse about needing to work on the floor plans for my Cafe’, and all but race away. I know my heart was hammering at the time, I was confused and panicked. I watch myself take off, but stay behind for one specific reason. I have always wondered how Augustine reacted to my shock. I can see him sink to his knees, and place his head in his hands.  
“Non, non, non…” He looks up. Tears swim in his beautiful grey eyes. Corren drops down to him, confused as to why his friend suddenly left. “Gar gar? Chomp?” Sycamore doesn’t even recognize that the garchomp is there. His greif is immense.  
'A tear... Oh- Augustine, I'm sorry.'   
That is terrible to watch. I am unsure whether his sorrow, or my idiocy bothers me worse. I want to send myself back over there to Sycamore, to force myself to hold him. However, I somehow know that I cannot force anything to be different in this memory. I look on to Augustine with pain in my heart.  
I am sure that I don’t want to watch myself the rest of the day, so I instead fast-forward the memory. The sorrow in-between now and then would be a waste of time, and I’m unsure how long I’m going to be stuck in this memory. I know by the memory that I spent the rest of the day trying to come to terms with what was going on. That was a year before the formation of Team Flare, a few weeks before the opening of my Cafe’. It was two years before I started my own research lab, and five months from the start of the lab I chose my Scientists.  
'My Scientists... Something about that feels wrong.' I feel odd, and push the thought away. I’m unsure about this feeling.  
I watch myself go back home, and break down into tears, Lisle, Ysire, and Colsen all huddle around me. I wouldn’t want to relive this for any reason. I am sickened by how long it takes me to get up, even in fast-forwarding ‘mode’. After a long while, I watch myself aimlessly get up and walk out, leaving all the pokemon there except for Lisle, who forced himself out the door, rumbling angrily.  
“Go home.” I hear myself say.  
“ROAR.” He growled angrily.  
“Go home.” I can see me walking down the boulevard now, mindlessly. It was already getting dark by this point, and the road was mostly empty in comparison to the middle of the day.  
“Py-py.” The first time in a while Lisle was actually conversational. He bumped into the back of my leg, nudging me.  
“Go. Home. Lisle.” The me-below is beyond angry. However, Lisle knows best. I watch my wing-man, my most honorable, understand, loving, and careful companion nudge the me-below again and again, slowly guiding me to the labs.  
'Time to go back...' I slow the time back to what seems like normal, and slowly ease myself into first-person in the memory.  
\---  
I am so scared. I’m angry. I’m frightened. Fight or Flight, and I’d chose Flight, only to wind up here. “Damn, Lisle, why?” But suddenly, the pyroar is pushing me to the door, his body infinitely stronger than mine, and his patience knowing no bounds. “Just go home, I don’t want to do this right now.”  
Lisle blocks me from leaving, and I shake myself. “You are making a scene.” I attempt to push him back, but he stands firm. “Okay then.” I swallow my anger, and feel hollow, an instant loss of oxygen or fuel, something a fire needs. “If I talk to him, will you go home?”  
The pyroar shakes his mane.  
“Well… It’s worth a try. God-damn, a pokemon being this unreasonable. I wouldn’t expect this from you, of all pokemon, Lisle.” However, I’m opening the door, and apprehension is taking a hold of me. The pyroar pushes me ahead.  
“Oh- hello sir!” The receptionist recognizes me, and smiles. “Are you looking for the Professor?” I look down, away from her. That’s not normal of me. “Did something happen?” She asks. I can hear myself cursing in my mind.  
“No- not at all.” I answer, curt.  
She gives me an odd look. “Well, he left out a little over an hour ago, said he’d be back later. Seemed to have something on his mind.” She searches me with her eyes, as if she knew. It strikes me now that she probably did.  
I turn to my pyroar. “Well, I guess we will just have to come back later…” the word ‘Later’ is pointed. The Pyroar shakes his head. “He’s not here, let’s go.” I turn back to the woman. “Well, tell him I came by…” I turn around towards the door, and there he is. His eyes large and wet. We are both silent, and the receptionist gives us both a look.  
Sycamore gathers himself. “Well, that… That experiment that we were talking about- why don’t we finish that conversation… Elsewhere.” His voice trembles, even if the sentence is cryptic. Memory-me is confused, but Lisle pushes his head reassuringly into his- MY hand.  
“I was thinking… perhaps my building? The Cafe’s not ready to open yet, but it’s clean and… quiet.” I feel myself pick my words carefully. Augustine looks at me with bright eyes. I melt inside, both me and the memory me. He nods, and we begin to walk out. I still feel apprehension to getting near him, but Lisle was having none of that. He pushed me closer to him, but not too close. Lisle always knew when was too far. We were all silent as we walked to the future-site of the Cafe’, where we stood outside before walking in.  
“I… I’m sorry, Professor.” I sigh, my voice cracking. “I stepped totally out of my bounds-” I figure that that would be better than saying that it was an accident. Less hurtful. Because at this point, I’m not even sure what I’m feeling.  
Augustine grabs my hand, just like that. I shut up, blinking back tears. “Not now.” He says, and we walk into the building. I’d been working hard on it, just my own, to get it perfect. I was never a fan of leaving my jobs to others if I could to do it myself. If one wants something done, they do it themself. The walls have one coat of paint on them, the floor is tiled, and I’d brought a small fold-out bed here for when I stay too late working to go home- when I’m just too tired. Lisle is already in and jumping onto the fold-out bed with his claws retracted. He curls up at the ‘foot’ of the bed, after smelling around. Just a bit of smell, and he already knows which side of the bed my head is usually pointed. I’m impressed, but memory-me is simply entranced by having Sycamore so close- let alone being touched by him.  
I sway there for a moment, nervous, but Augustine (Praise his brave soul!) is already leading me to sit on the bed. Now, memory-me is even more nervous, to the point of shaking. He- I, am unsure of the implications of this. “Profes-” I stop… “Augustine…” My voice shakes with anxiety. Sycamore looks into my eyes, and I my heart stops. The emotion is delicious. His eyes are a cloudy day, a breath of fresh air just before the rain- the drop in air pressure before a storm. I catch my breath.  
“Lysandre…” He’s still keeping eye-contact with me, and it makes memory-me squirm. It simply makes me swell with pride. Lisle watches with his head on his paws, purring deeply. “Stay with me.” Lisle pushes him forward with his head, and then settles back down, purring louder. I gently wrap my arms around him, burdened suddenly by his labcoat, one of the ones I bought him, I remember vaguely. His head is under my chin, cheek crushed to my chest.  
“I… I don’t understand.” I hear my voice say, but I whisper to my memory self. 'You do understand. He loves you, he loves you, he loves you... Come on.' I know that my memory self doesn’t hear me, but either way, my muscles are no longer tensed. 'You will find out all too late, but I can tell you right now- he loves you.' Memory me leans back, taking Augustine with him, and they lay there, quietly. I can feel my heart beat raggedly, my breathing kept purposefully soft so that it doesn’t rustle Sycamore’s hair.  
“I can relate. No one really understands these things, Lysandre.”  
I nod, and memory me feels a little better. I can live like this forever, just in this one moment. Knowing in one perfect untouched moment the answers to all the mysteries in the universe. Everything is suddenly so clear to me, but…  
This isn’t where I need to be, even if I want to be here.  
I need to be -there-, saving Sycamore.

\-----------------------

With that, I am pulled from the moment by a single thread, choking and reeling, to the too-warm and wet bricks of Magenta Plaza. My vision swims, and I am already wishing that it had been even remotely a viable option to stay in that memory forever. Pain is splitting through my skull like a lightning crack, and I’m cold, so cold. I cough.  
“Ha- look Xero- look at him! He’s awake.” I think for a moment… It sounds like Mable. Somewhere behind me, Aliana squeals in laughter.  
Xerosic speaks above me. “I was sure he would be.”  
“Pretty Damn good kick though, Xerosic. I have to hand it to you.” That sounds like… Bryony.  
Everything spins, and I pick myself up, my arms burning, my legs buckled to the knees. I try to concentrate… I spit, and blood mixes with whatever is on the bricks… Blood. Blood on the bricks. The warmth suddenly makes sense. I begin to stand, shakily.  
“Look, he’s a strong one. What a waste!” I cannot tell who that one is, because all of my strength and concentration is going to getting up.  
Xerosic sighs. “He was only out for a little while though… Oh well. I’m sure that he will do as we want him to, now.” He steps away, and I can hear glass scraping against the bricks. His goggles… I had knocked them off earlier. I remember that now. Everything is really fuzzy, but I'm forcing it into focus.  
“Pity- I’ll have to use the spares.” He says. Then, he addresses me. “The kick was for the cut. Now get up and get to work.”  
My head is spinning, but with renewed vigor from the beautiful dream spurring me on, and the memory that Sycamore’s life (and worse) was on the line, I pull myself to my feet, and follow. My steps are tremulous, and I only pause to scoop up my jacket, and put it on, zipping it up. My Team cannot see me at the mercy of the Scientists. I quickly gather my bearings, and with an aching skull, straighten my cravat. I straighten up my posture despite the twisting pain in my back. Everything is becoming clearer by the second, out of my dire need to protect Augustine.  
“Remember, Lysandre.” It is Xerosic, right behind me. “If you pull any funny business, the Songbird pays for it.” I nod. I put on a front, I stand tall, I look powerful, and try not to think about the evil I will soon commit. It hits me that I have no idea about the state of my head, so I gingerly touch the left side of my face- moving back... He'd meant for it to hurt, not to kill me, I realize. All the blood on the bricks is from my cheek.  
It is a comforting thought, to know that soon I’ll be dead, and Sycamore will be dead, but we’ll be safe and together. I just hope he understands, now that the implications have sunk in. I hope Lisle, Corren, Nero, Ysire, and Colsen will be with us. At this point, my desire for a beautiful world is delicately balanced with my desire to stop Xerosic's plan.  
I'd thought I was in control the whole time, and now it seems that the lead Pyroar has been Dethroned.  
I cannot believe I did not see this coming, but I never really expected that the threat would come from within my own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs Listened To During Writing:  
> 1\. 'Breathe Into Me', by Red  
> 2\. 'Going in Blind', by P.O.D.
> 
> I'm fairly sure that by the end of things, Xerosic was in charge. Judging by how quickly he disobeyed a command in the games. If I was working under a leader of an organization that had the ability to destroy everything on the planet, I'm sure that I wouldn't be disobeying any command at all, let alone one so important.
> 
> In my mind, Pyroar prides work nearly the exact same as Lion prides.


	5. Concussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing scary in this chapter yet, but expect it in the next one!

At first, I didn't think much more on the assault, other than the fact that my skull feels like a log split by an axe. However, it is beginning to get even more difficult to concentrate, lights are too bright -even when dimmed-, and this headache will not go away. It nestles between my eyes, and radiates to the back of my head.  
I am not an idiot. I know exactly what this is. However, with all that is thrust upon my shoulders, there is no time to get it looked at by a physician. In fact, no point at all in doing so, I'll be dead in a little under eight hours anyway, and I will not be ushered to death by a simple concussion. No, it will be much, much more than that. I've done a huge amount of research on this matter, and I know that once the machine is done with me, it will look as if I simply fell dead- all the life will be gone before I hit the ground.  
I vaguely wonder if it will hurt.  
No time for that thought though- I'm scrambling around, ordering the last few nuances of the plan to be finished. Setting all the dominoes up, making sure that every last member of Team Flare has a small job to get done, tiny ministrations to tune the instrument. It is tantamount that no one really knows exactly what is going on, everyone has their own tiny window of sight. Before, I'd written this off as a needed precaution, but now, I'm beginning to regret that. I am sending these people, all of which trust me, to their deaths.  
I hope it doesn't hurt. For their sakes.  
Busying around is making it easier for me to ignore the terrible pain, but it is taking a toll on me, making me irritable. The moment I get myself alone, after sending the Scientists on their way to their posts, I sit down, my head in my hands. Even the sensation of my fingertips against my forehead are sending pangs of some uncomfortable feeling. Not pain- not pain at all, something far less but just as annoying. However, my hands covering my eyes helps with the light sensitivity, so I deal with it. I breathe- in and out. In and out.  
Flashes are coming back to me, and I am desperately fighting them off.  
"Boss?" A voice starts from the other side of the room... What room? I glance up, and around, squinting. Ah, the cafe', the cafe... Now who is that... Perhaps one of my admins? I glance over, and realize that it is one of my higher-ranked team members.  
"Yes Jake?" Try as I might, I can't keep my voice from coming off as annoyed. I make up for it with a follow up. "No complications with the operation, right?" I try to give off a warm look. This is one of my closer underlings, and I'm sure he has seen me having varying degrees of migraines before.  
"No sir, no issues at all. Actually, we just got done, I sent my team to help Tessa with her squadron. They were expressing the need for more hands." He stands there, straight-backed, and with the shaggy brown shock of hair he simply didn't want to dye orange. He stands still, the image of loyal. I nod to him, though it sends pain through my head again. It sears. "Beautiful job, Jake. Your brother would be proud." He takes my compliment with a glow, and speaks again. "May I have permission to be at ease, or do you need me to do something else?"  
I glance up again. "Be at ease, the others have their work cut out for them, but you've done well." He sits down, allowing himself a moment to breathe more easily. I can see fatigue soften his features. I'd been working him hard lately, he is definitely the most trustworthy person I have here. Jake is a foreigner, an immigrant from Unova. I'd met him on the streets when I had just become adult. His brother had died, leaving him alone as a twelve-year old. He never knew his parents. It was all I could do to bring him here, give him a new life, and put him to work. Jake is the closest thing I have to family... Other than Augustine. He has proven an extremely valuable ally, he is the most loyal human being on this planet. Not once has he questioned an order.  
"Sir..."  
"We're alone. You don't have to call me that for now."  
He smiles, wide. He is just now twenty-three, so very young. "Yes sir- Er- Monsieur Lysandre." He seems nervous still, however. "Are you having a headache?" He looks genuinely worried. It makes sense. He's the closest person I've had to a younger sibling. A poor mockery of course, but human bonds are very strange, not quite as clear as pokemon bonds.  
"Yes, just another migraine. I'll be fine though." I answer, and he looks at me, doubtfully. He offers to pour a cup of coffee for me, but I decline. No caffeine for me, not with a concussion. I don't tip him off though. He sits down with his cup, and begins to sip from it, carefully. He watches me out of the corner of his eye, as if he suspects something. "Is something amiss?" He asks. I can't help but to look at him, my eyes right into his. He displays typically Unovian in mannerisms, despite the fact that he has spent a long time living here. His gaze is accusatory naturally, instead of interested.  
"Nothing really."  
"Well, I have your pokeballs for you." He places the inactive pokeballs on the table, and I smile. I can tell by now exactly which one holds which pokemon, so I select the one on the far right, and activate the ball, releasing Lisle. He purrs deeply, and rubs up against my leg. However, he senses something wrong instantly. He takes one whiff of me, and releases a low warning rumble. "Calm down Lisle..." I stroke his skull gently, and smile. "Sorry I kept you in the ball so long... You are a bit large to take everywhere." He smells of me, pressing his nose to my side. "Py." His voice takes on a more musical tone. He isn't talkative usually. I know he smells my worry, my pain, and Augustine on me.  
Augustine...  
\-------------------------  
I am laughing as Colsen scrambles back to me, his tiny hands gripping the time-piece. "And where do you think you are going with that?" My voice rings out, as the meinfoo runs into my arms. I take the time-piece from him, and allow him to scurry up my arm, over my shoulder, and then settle under my chin. "You should not be taking things from people. You better not be getting pointers from Ysire. He's bad news!" Colsen chatters at me, and I pet him. "I should have named you Robin."  
I turn to the Professor, handing him back his wrist-watch. "Sorry about him, you know how they are when they are young." Augustine nods to me, and straps it back to his wrist. "Colsen is indeed a slick one, I'll have to watch for him from now on, mon ami." His grin is really infectious. Augustine really loves pokemon, and it really shows. Colsen of course had completely taken advantage of that, lifting him of his timepiece as he cuddled the youngster. That's Colsen for you. I've been trying to break him of it, of course. He's only a year old now though. Despite his little habit, Colsen is maturing up quite well, into an amazing battle pokemon. Not quite as solid as Lisle, a veteran of many battles- or as adaptable as Ysire, or even as passionate about fighting as Nero... But Colsen is very artistic about his technique, to say the least of it.  
"Now come on little fella, time for you to rest." I pulled a pokeball from my side, and recalled him. Colsen isn't quite as nervous about being outside as he used to be, but he still tires easily, and I'd been training him. "Now, Augustine, what were you wishing to speak with me about?" I turn to him, another pokeball in my hand. I'm planning on sparring with Lisle now. I'd already had my session with Ysire and Nero (I am sure Nero will evolve soon, due to his hard work). I tend to save my pyroar for last. Our wrestling never fails to tire me out, perfect for keeping me in shape. I leisurely release Lisle from his pokeball, and smile, cuddling into his mane. "You ready for our spar, Lisle?"  
Augustine smiles, and stretches himself out, leaning on a tree nearby. I half expected him to sit on the swing-set, or possibly on the slide, to get a better vantage point of the sparr. I find this abandoned park outside of Lumiose to be the perfect sparring field for my pokemon and I. I turn back towards him, my eyes asking the question for me. "I'll wait back here until you two are done. Avoir du plaisir!" He waves us off. I take a stance with my center of gravity lower than usual, my body closer to the ground, spreading my arms out. "Ready, Lisle?"  
"ROAR."  
With that I leap at him, wrapping my arms around his maned chest and twisting my body sideways in an attempt to flip him. However, though he doesn't weigh much, he is very stout. All pokemon are. He pulls back, shaking his head, forcing me to loose my grip. I let out a laugh, and leap right back into the frey. He meets me with his paws, shoving me back, but his claws are retracted. Lisle is all too careful with me, I know he isn't really fighting me. I'd be dead by now if he were. I circle him for a moment, before meeting him again, this time my arms are holding him at full length on his chest, his arms not quite coming close enough to give me a mighty smack to the face. He rumbles in amusement, and pushes forward, bowling me over neatly. I hit the ground rolling, however, and he fails to pin me. I am full-on laughing now, a coping method. I spring up, and then I'm at him again. We lock arms and wrestle. Two pyroar rampant.  
About halfway through the spar, I am aware of Sycamore's eyes on me, watching me move. I have this strange feeling of wanting to impress him. For whatever reason, I am unsure. I notice myself begin trying harder, dodging quicker, wrestling harder. I'm already exhausted from working with the others, but this... This is something different. I can feel the adrenaline course through me. After a few more grueling minutes of sparring, I finally catch Lisle off of his guard, and toss him, pinning the pyroar. He swats at me playfully, his tail whipping. "Rrruumble... Py." His voice is deep. I let him up, and sit back on my haunches. We both pant. "Good game, Lisle." I put my forehead to his head, and we sit there for a moment, companionably. "Really worked up a sweat this time." I run a hand through my hair for a moment, and turn back to Augustine.  
The look on his face made me glad that I was already red in the face from exertion. I was suddenly very happy to have tried my hardest since he was watching, because now he can't seem to keep his eyes off of me. Somehow, that makes me proud. That confuses me, though. Usually, his eyes slip right off of me, but now... "So Augustine, what was it again?" I watch him shake his head, trying to catch the thought again.  
"I was wondering if you had time tonight to take a trip to Couriway with me." He seems nervous, so I stand up from my crouched position. Lisle sits still, lazily purring. I allow a good blink. It was already getting late, the sun was dipping below the horizon, dancing across the leaves, and leaving the park in a depression of shadow.  
"Why Couriway?" I'd been there with him before, that is where I caught Nero. He'd shown me his childhood home, and explained his theory on eevee's newest evolution, Sylveon. He'd spent a lot of time studying Sylveon. As for me, I was less interested in Sylveon, and more interested in the waterfalls. Natural beauty amazes me. Of course, that was how I met Nero, and that was history.  
He walks forward, and I can clearly see the worry painted all over his face. "I... There is someone I want you to meet."  
There isn't anything I am planning for tonight... Well, except to get cleaned up, since the sparring has left me with grass and sweat caked to me. "I'll have to get cleaned up-"  
The professor cracks a gleaming smile that threatens to steal the sun's title. It is so bright and beautiful. Lisle purrs behind me, standing and cuddling my leg. So affectionate...  
"Why don't you get cleaned up at my place? It'd be easier than getting Ysire to fly you there, I'm sure." He snickers a bit, no doubt at the idea of the Honchkrow carrying someone like me any length away. Little does he know, I live right in town, so that would not be necessary. However, I find it prudent to keep my living quarters away from his knowledge for the time being... It might prove useful in the future. I weigh my options.  
"How about it, Lisle?" I glance down to my pyroar, and he is already pushing me along. "You pushy feline... Oh well. I'll take you up on that, Augustine. Lisle here doesn't like being in his pokeball for very long, so I'm sure he is ecstatic." It has been around a year and some months since the kiss, so I fall into step beside him without missing a beat.  
"You don't have to man the cafe' or the labs tonight, do you?" The professor asks, curiously, as we make our way back into town. Undoubtedly, I'm sure he is fearing that he is inconviencing me.  
"No, not at all. Even the owner gets a day off every once in a while. I have managers to watch the workers." It is the truth, though he knows that I dislike leaving them to do all the work. I enjoy maintaining my workers myself. They work harder when they like the owner. "I do wish I knew what you were planning, however."  
"What? Spoil the surprise? Non!" He grins, and nudges me. I shake a bit. After all this time, I'm still unused to his touch. It makes me nervous. He notices this, and keeps his short distance. "We will be meeting old friends of mine, that's it." I settle down a little, but a new fear comes up. I don't think that Augustine would put me in a position of nervousness, or where I would feel uncomfortable, but he doesn't seem like the man to keep many friends. All his co-workers are kept a good distance from him though he is the kindest person to them... He tries to separate friends from his job, though that still doesn't keep him from sharing nearly all his work with me.  
He is lucky that I am not a competitor, that I am his friend. Otherwise, he would be constantly giving his information away. He'd never get any renown. I wonder if he knows about how highly I regard him, and if that is why he is this comfortable around me. Otherwise, he would come across as far too trusting. "Old friends, hm..." I cast him a wary gaze, and he pulls me into the hotel. "After all this time in Lumiose- you still sleep in a hotel?" I am unsure whether that bothers me, or if I am merely worried about him.  
He chuckles. "Non, non-" His voice is a whisper, though. People in the lobby are purposefully not looking directly at us. I can see why his voice is so low now, so private. I fear that I may have put the wrong idea in some of their minds with my wording. He continues to explain. "I have a lease for the top room- because I'm the professor, comprende?" I nod, and Lisle bumps against my leg. I shoot the pyroar a look. I follow him to the elevator, and he pulls a key from around his neck. Interesting- I didn't see him as the neck-key kind of guy. He inserts it into a keyhole in the panel, and presses a few numbers. I look away, as not to remember, but it is difficult for me not to. My memory is pristine.  
7, 9, 13, 56, 27, 2.  
Mother of Arceus. No matter how hard I try...  
As soon as the door is shut, I turn to him, and blink. "I think I may have put the wrong idea to all those people down there..." I'm fairly ashamed.  
"Non- don't worry about it." He's full-out laughing now, and I'm confused. He notices my confusion as we pass the third floor. "They are used to seeing me by now. I'm sure they'll think nothing of it." I'm confused even worse by his wording, but decide to put the thought away. He smiles at me, and I'm suddenly very nervous. I take a liberal step away from him, and stroke Lisle for support. He continues to purr. Luckily, no one has to get on by the time we reach the top floor, and I step out directly into a large room. The window draws me to it, it is blacked out from the outside, but I can see the city so well from here.  
It reminds me of my childhood home, which both amuses me and sickens me at the same time. The view is beautiful, but I prefer being closer to the ground. I can't tear my eyes away from Prism Tower. I realize that I am holding my breath a bit too late, and Sycamore reminds me- "Breathe now, mon ami. You'll get used to the view later." I breathe out, and step forward, looking around. I feel like this was a very bad idea suddenly. I don't feel safe anymore. Lisle pushes me forward, and towards the Professor. "The bathroom is in that door- and I'll lay out something nicer for you to wear..." He is appraising how dirty my current clothing is- one of my many identical jackets over a simple shirt (he wouldn't know that) with some of my more casual slacks... Completely grass-stained. Great.  
"Are you sure anything you have would fit?" I can't help but to ask.  
"Well, I'd gotten you something for your birthday a while ago- but proceeded to realize that I have no idea when it is. So I've kept it."  
I feel bad for not giving out information that simple to him earlier, but I nod. It makes me wonder how he got the size just from that though, so I'll have to see.  
I cast him a wary look, but the shower awaits. Lisle sits by the door on the inside, guarding me as I strip. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to do this in the first place.  
\-------------------------  
I sit there, Lisle licking my face worriedly. I glance around. The lights are way too bright, so I squint. Someone seems to be calling my name, so I look up, and around. Aha- it's Jake. My head seems a little fuzzy... "What's wrong, Jake?"  
The boy seems less frightened now. Why is he frightened, he's not a child anymore. He speaks, and his voice tremors. "You... You just went out of it! Are you okay?"  
"Yes, of course I'm okay." I say, and sit back up, my back straight. "What do you mean I 'went out of it'?" I am utterly confused. Then, it hits me. The concussion. "Oh- oh... Giratina be damned." He's cursing now, and trying to help me up. I stand up, and proceed to pace for a moment. He looks at me with fright in his eyes. "Do you need help, Sir?"  
"No- no at all. Not right now."  
"Sir, with all due respect, you just lost consciousness."  
"We don't have the time to fool with that."  
"Can't we put it off for a day?" He pleads.  
"NO. No Jake. We can't." The urgency in my voice silences him. He gets up, and looks me in the face. Lisle is now standing against me, his strength into keeping me still. He growls at me.  
Jake is not an idiot. In fact, he is incredibly intuitive. He gives me another glance over. "Lysandre. There is something you aren't telling me. You are an older brother to me, the least I can do is take care of you." He drops the formal tone, which tips me off that no one is here, that I'm not being tailed. I grow angry, and lose the anger again.  
"Jake, come with me. We need to finish something real fast. The last preparations."  
"Yes sir. Would you mind if I use Soma as a guard for you as you walk?"  
"I have Lisle to guard me, but you may supplement him with her." My mind is a thousand miles away, but it wouldn't be right for me to not explain to him at least some construed version of the truth. I hate lying, but I need Sycamore to be safe. He pulls a pokeball from his pocket, and releases a Mightyena, a huge one. Soma, he called her. I got the joke when he'd introduced me to her, but now she was large and powerful.  
As we leave the cafe' I realize that sometime during all the working, the dawn had come and gone, and now people were bustling around the streets. I faintly worry about Augstine now. Did he stay at home? Am I going to run into him this morning? I hope he stays where he is. It would be safer for him to stay contained than to be followed by the Scientists everywhere. "Jake, the place we need to go to is this way..." I lead him through the crowd, leaning on Lisle heavily. I realize that my balance is off now, and it is making it difficult to keep a straight line unaided. Luckily, Lisle is keeping me from bowling over. Soma is watching warily, weaving from Jake's right side, to my right side.  
Despite the fact that his mate is right there, Lisle ignores the temptation to woo her in favor of keeping me steady. Such a loyal pokemon. Lisle has been there for me when no one else has been. We make our way to the park, where I know none of the other members have been stationed. I sit myself down on a small rock, and whisper to Lisle- "Got get her, boy." At that, he whines a bit, nervous at leaving me alone, but runs across the park as I bid, play-fighting with Soma. They wrestle around for a good moment, their tails wagging, before laying down beside each-other restfully. I watch them silently for a moment, before turning to Jake. "Boy- don't you breathe a word of this to anyone."  
He shakes his head. "You can trust me. Anything brother."  
It is nice and quiet here, though my head still aches. I look at him in the eyes, allowing a bit of my emotions to show through. "You are loyal, thank you, Jake."  
He smiles, softly. A brotherly look crossing his face. "It has something to do with that Scientist friend of yours, doesn't it?" Ah, he knows quite a bit.  
"Well, a bit..." I'm unsure how much information I want to give him.  
"Did he not join?" He asks, genuinely curious. I feel heat rise to my cheeks despite my terrible headache.  
"Well... no. He... He wouldn't be happy without pokemon. He doesn't support the idea." I wonder if I can pass this off as friendship now that I realize that it is not friendship... It's different altogether.  
"I feel you... I still haven't convinced Lacie." He looks stricken for a moment. "I will miss her terribly." He is talking about the girl that he likes. He's told me about her lots of times, but it never occurred to me until now that he is giving her up for my plan. I feel my stomach twist into a knot. I look away from him, and then back into his eyes.  
"I'm sorry..." I turn away, my face a bit red.  
He looks at me, and I realize that I just incriminated myself. I contemplate trying to pass it off as a mere worry for his feelings, but he knows me too well for that. He sees me with new eyes now. "I had no idea it was like that between you two... Does he know?" That's Jake, always right on the money, a problem-solver at heart. Very empathic. I'm surprised that his Lacie hasn't fallen for him already.  
"Well... He... It's complicated." I blink.  
"Does he not reciprocate?" His eyes soften. He would be able to understand that.  
"He told me, that he loved me." I admit, and watch Lisle and Soma grooming each-other, smiling. I'm glad that Lisle is making himself comfortable and happy for his last few hours. He has always enjoyed Soma's company. I can relate to that.  
"Wait- so what is the problem?" He looks at me for a moment, and then opens his mouth ever so slightly. "You didn't tell him." His face gives me the most questioning look I've seen from him. I know he's not the one to ask why, but I know what the face means.  
"Jake... it wouldn't work out." Because he wouldn't be happy. Because in about seven hours, judging by the sun, I am about to kill us all. Because I don't understand relationships. Because it took me a good four years past THAT night to realize that I loved him.  
"It is none of my business, Lys... But fuck, it bothers me that you are purposefully going to make yourself unhappy forever, simply because you can't bring yourself to tell him. If Lacie loved me back, I'd never turn back." He gives me a look of pity, and I dislike it. Pity is not what I want.  
However, I am not angry with him. He simply doesn't understand my rather abnormal relationship with the professor. "I... I don't want to lose him. But he'd be unhappy. He doesn't see it like we do. Pokemon are everything to him. He believes people can change." We sit in silence for a moment, and I glance around. Lisle doesn't seem to be on guard, however, and Soma is not at alert. Good, no one is around. "I don't want him to be unhappy. I don't want him to hate me when I take away everything else he cares about. It would be unfair to him."  
"So you are going to let him go? Just like that? He sounds like -the one-, Lys." His voice is saddened. He wants better for me than what he will be getting soon. "I mean, with Lacie an' me, I never... You know, we aren't close. I just like her, her personality. But you an' that Professor, you sound tight. I can't even imagine losing someone that close." He seems to drift off for a moment, but then he speaks again. "You'll never find anyone else like him."  
"I know." I sigh, and turn away.  
"Do you... Do you think it will be worth it, Lys?" His words are traitorous, but I don't really care. He studies my face.  
"Worth it?" I already know what he is meaning, but I want to give myself time to think about my answer.  
"You know, this plan. Do you think the world will be really more beautiful with just all of us in it?" I was sure he'd be the one asking me about this. I'm unsure for a moment, nervous as to what to tell him, what was safe to.  
"You know what? I've been wondering that myself. I thought it was all going to be worth it in the end... But... But..." I look up to see Lisle and Soma in the distance, and blush, turning away. Jake is already chuckling, and whooping. "Wow, look at em' go. Glad to see them finally letting go. I'm proud for them." He whistles. "Goodness Lisle, I'm jealous. Soma's a mighty fine Bitch- born and raised fighting! Shame someone as finely bred as you chooses a slum-dog like my Soma, though." He's always cracking jokes at his Mightyena. You can't separate Jake and Soma for anything.  
I just shy away. The thought of it makes me feel awkward. Lisle doesn't need a wing-man. He's always been more sure of himself than me.  
I let the thought get away, and Jake seems to be more interested in the ground than our conversation. He speaks again, after a moment though. "So, what is wrong with you, falling out like that?"  
For a moment, I can't tell if he means between Augustine and I, or if he is meaning the concussion... I sigh. "Concussion."  
"Giratina be damned. You really need to get that checked! That could be really bad, and after we are done, there might not be enough doctors to get it looked at. Loosing consciousness after a concussion usually means that worse damage was done. I'm worried about you." He reaches out a hand towards me, and I let him throw an arm around my shoulders. "How'd you manage that?"  
I consider lying to him, but I can't bring myself to. "Look, Jake. I'm not running the show anymore."  
"What d'ya mean?" A knot of worry appears over his brow.  
"It's Xerosic. He's... He's plotting. This might not turn out the way we planned." I'm unsure how to word myself, and paranoid that he has planted something on me. I check my clothing for anything odd, but find nothing.  
"Shit. I told you what I thought about him." He says, his voice accusatory. Leave it to Jake to give me a slap of reality.  
"I know. Completely my fault, I shouldn't have disregarded your thoughts. You are usually right, Jake. I want you to know that I'm proud of you." I lift a hand to the side of my head and gingerly touch the bruise under my hair.  
Jake stares at me now, backed up, unbelieving. "B-boss... Lys. That sounds like a goodbye..." His mouth twitches.  
"I got a plan, Jake, but I want you by my side every second. You may have your Lacie yet, if you are brave." I have my fingers crossed in front of my face now, leaving my head in a more comfortable position on my hands.  
"Lys, Brother, I'd follow you anywhere. You gave me my life back. I can't repay you for that. I'd still be in the slums if not for you." Jake doesn't cry, but his bright green eyes are swimming right now. The orange suit doesn't suit him, even with the modifications I allowed him. "I'd give my life for you."  
"Don't say that."  
"Fuck, Lys I mean it."  
"I'm not worth it. Not now."  
"You are all the Arceus-damned family I've got."  
He hugs me, and I let the shudder pass through my body before hugging him back. "Just tell me one thing, Jake. Promise me that you will make sure that Augustine is happy. Don't worry about me. You are the sole proprietor to everything I have. Be sure to make sure that he is safe and happy as long as he lives."  
I can feel his muscles clench, but he speaks. "You really love him, don't you? ... Fine, I'll take care of him. But something tells me we are going to have to pull this out of our asses, aren't we?" I chuckle at his crudeness. Some mannerisms can be changed with a fresh start and nice clothes. Other traits we are born with.  
"I guess you can say that Jake. Consider Augustine Sycamore your brother. Tell him I died for him, tell him who you are. Take Lisle to him when I'm gone. Lisle loves him."  
"Lys... You are depressing." He looks sad, and then punches me in the shoulder. "Lighten up, we'll find our way out of this." Always so optimistic. I'm a realist though, and I already know where this is going.  
"Jake, I've got to play my part to the end for this to work. You need to understand that, okay?"  
He stiffens, and nods. "Y'sir." He understands the weight of this. With that being said, we walk across the park, towards where Lisle and Soma are now sprawled content on the grass. I smile. A dog and a cat, how hilarious. Hell, a Lion and a Hyena, at that. Even worse. "Tell Augustine... Tell him what I couldn't. Please."  
Jake gives me the most heart-wrenching look I've ever seen him give, and he mutters something crass along the lines of "Fuck me with a maractus." Before nodding, tears spilling over his eyes. I have to turn away, or I'm sure I will cry as well.  
\-------------------------  
I step out of the shower, and towel myself off, realizing suddenly that Lisle is no longer guarding the door, and that there is a pile of clothing on the cabinet. I am suddenly very afraid, knowing that at some point during my shower, I didn't hear Lisle move, the door open, or the Professor lay the clothes on the counter. I step over, and notice a bottle of fragrance on top of the clothing. I gingerly lift it up, and bring it to my nose. How did he know what I wear? Does he have that good of a nose? This seems fairly odd to me. However, I place it back down on the sink beside the clothing, so that I can take a look at the garments. Black, as I am accustomed to wearing, but a suit. I pick it up... The material isn't bad at all. Not something that my parents would wear back home, but I wouldn't follow in their footsteps anyway.  
To my surprise, the legs of the slacks are just the right length. I blush as I realize that he's even left me undergarments. I have no idea what to think about that, but I go ahead and dress anyway. At the bottom of the stack, he's left me a bright scarlet tie... A tie. Not my usual cup of tea, but oh well. This is rather formal attire... I don't know how to feel about that. There aren't any fine diners in Couriway, so I have no idea what is going on anymore. I take the bottle and slowly dab it on each wrist, and then rub under my neck. I look at myself in the mirror. Blink. Turn to the left, then to the right. Well, this is the most ready I'll be. It has been so long since I've worn a suit like this.  
I open the door, and walk out, my hair pretty much everywhere from drying it. Sycamore is no where to be found, however. "Augustine?" I hear a laugh from a room adjacent to this one, so I step forward. It occurs to me that I have no idea what the code is for this... I knock on the door, lightly.  
"Oh- you finished already? Call your pyroar off! By Arceus!"  
I open the door, surprised to find a nearly-fully dressed Sycamore, in just as formal of attire, with one sock off. Lisle is licking his foot. It occurs to me that I've never seen the Professor in formal attire before. That is a strange feeling. "Lisle- stop it. That's rude." The pyroar rumbles, and steps over to me, smelling of me. "Py..."  
Augustine straightens back up, and finishes putting on the sock. One is white, and one is black. I scowl. "Augustine... I am insulted. Why are your socks different colored?"  
He looks down. "I didn't even think about it. Hmm..." He opens up a drawer, and pulls out a different pair, but both of them are two-different shades of off-white. I glance around... So this is his sleeping quarters. The thought of him sleeping here threatens to make me blush. The walls are very white, with a trim of sky blue. So different than my own... This place is airy, cool, and collected. My own home is warm and soft, earthy. We are very different in this aspect. I wonder how he can sleep here.  
"Here, let me help." My voice surprises me, as he pulls out another pair, which are a sickening two-separate mixtures of brown. I step beside him, and pull out a sock, and then another one from a completely different area. Both are the exact same shade of cobalt. "What about these? They match your bow-tie." He looks at them, and then nods. "It amazes me how you color-coordinated my clothes, but can't even do that for yourself."  
"But yours was easier- just get some red and black and throw it about. Non- it is harder for me to pick which color I like." He says, pulling the socks from my grasp and wrestling the mismatching ones off of his feet.  
I glance around, partially to relieve the tension. "Really? I'd have thought that you like blue." Really poor choice in a color... Oh well though, it cannot be helped. Red would offset his grey eyes, and black would match his hair.  
"I guess I do like blue, but... I don't know..." He trails off.  
"How did you know what I wear?" I cannot keep myself from asking him. I'm too curious.  
"I'd know it anywhere." His eyes widen. I'm unsure why he looks so shocked, but he hides the concern quickly. He stands, and spins around. His coat-tails are long, mine are short. I wonder what made him choose this, but I decide not to say anything. The colors he wears are nearly the exact inverse of mine. "How do I look?"  
I smile. "Like Xerneas in the stories I was told as a child." He regards me with a curious expression.  
"I guess you can say that."  
I look down at myself, and the resemblance finally strikes me. "Oh- so I guess that makes me Yveltal." I quickly muss up my hair in his vanity mirror, to make sure it doesn't look completely insane. Lisle purrs deafeningly now, but doesn't rub against my leg. I am sure he can tell that I don't need him getting brown fur all over my clothes. "Is Lisle coming with us to wherever it is we are going, or does he need to be recalled?"  
"Non, Keep him out. He'll like were we are going. Besides, I'm bringing Corren." His hand falls to his belt, where I can see he has four pokeballs strapped. I have my own strapped to my waist by a belt he provided, so I'm sure it will be fine that I plan to bring them. "I can't let him out until we are there though, he always gets excited on this particular trip, every time we go."  
"So these are good friends of yours..." I say, as we begin walking out, stepping into the elevator. He presses the first floor button, and as he turns around, I can smell a bit of a spicy-sweet scent. "Leppa, Augustine? You surprise me all the time. With Pecha on the side, I'd say." I wasn't one for the berry smells myself, but I have always really enjoyed it on Sycamore.  
"Yeah, I tend to change up more than you do." He's got the joking face on now. I glance away.  
"You always use some spicy-sweet combination though. You probably smell like a Chinese cuisine buffet to pokemon when you walk past." I give him a look as I say this.  
"Well, at least I'm not pompous enough to run about smelling like some sort of musk." His face has the hint of some expression... Something that makes me uneasy... But before I can take the study of it any further, the door opens to the first floor, so that is that. I follow him out, Lisle trotting at my heels. I can feel everyone watching us. I amuse myself with the thought that maybe they are watching Lisle's odd limp, instead of the fact that the famous professor is leading around some strange guy that he brought to his room. Somehow, I don't think that Sycamore is one for scandal. Then again, from what I hear, he's got the majority of Kalos bedded at least once.  
This doesn't rub me the wrong way at all. He's a beautiful man. However... I'm still unsure as to why anyone would want something like... That action.  
We leave, and the night air is crisp, taking my breath. Too much light pollution at this point to see the stars, but as soon as we hop in the taxi and leave the city (I temporarily recall Lisle to keep him from getting brown fur all over us) I can see all the stars in the sky, right there... Out of the window. Augustine is looking out of the window on his side to see them, and I smile. "Magnifique." Our voices in unison. I glance over towards him, and he is silently laughing, trying to swallow the noise before I can hear it.  
The driver is completely fixated on the road, which tells me that Augustine travels this trip quite often, and usually with this driver. He gave me a second look when I got in the back as well, so that tips me off that he goes alone. My hands are in my lap, but I get the idea to look out the back window- where it should be easier to see the stars. One of my hands goes to the middle seat. I nearly jump- touching the warmth of the professor's hand. I pull back my hand instantly. He glances across the distance to me, and shakes his head, reaching out his hand.  
I'm glad that it is dark. My cheeks are flaming. However, I place my hand in his. The touch runs it's way through me, and my cheeks are even hotter. He doesn't say anything though, just holds my hand. I'm unsure what this means, but I know that I shouldn't be so nervous about it, because he has touched me in other ways too. This brings the kiss to mind, and being held. However, those touches were in private settings, and this is basically a public setting. It is different, somehow. My muscles are held taut out of worry, and he watches me with those grey eyes... Squeezes my hand.  
The rest of the ride was incredibly nerve-racking, and by the time we are in Couriway, I just about jumped out of my skin to get out of the taxi. The drive seems pre-paid. Hmm... So he comes here so much that he expects to come out here more. Probably even has a set day to do it as well. This thought puts me at more ease. However, why would he want me to meet these people?  
That doesn't add up, somehow.  
As the taxi driver pulls away, I call out Lisle to my side, and he rumbles happily. I'm surprised that Lisle always likes it so much here, because of all the water. Augustine calls out Corren, and he stands by my side for a moment, looking up at the sky. I feel his fingers intertwine in mine. I listen to the waterfall across town. It softly billows, letting off a fresh breeze. The sky is a void, and the stars are scattered brightly. Couriway is a small town, so the setting is nearly private. I watch Sycamore check his timepiece. "We are in time, might want to hurry though." Still, we stand there for a moment, taking it all in, before traveling away.  
We pass many houses, small affairs, filled with warmth. Homier than my childhood home, safer. I am in step with Sycamore, enjoying his companionship. Soon, he leads me to a house, slightly larger than the others. It has two stories, which is more than can be said for most of the other houses here. I blink, but stay quiet. He knocks on the door with a careful knuckle.  
"Coming sweetie, coming coming!" The voice is musical, but old. A female's voice. I squirm inside slightly- aren't his parents gone? Parents... Ugh... I place my free hand on Lisle's head for support. At the sound of the voice, Corren is wagging his tail happily, and making inexplicable Garchomp noises. I hold my breath, and then the door swings open. An older woman is standing there, her skin is pale, and her eyes are a reddish brown, dark. Her skin is just barely wrinkled... My guess is that she is in her fifties. Behind her, a scarred Pigeot is sitting on a perch, preening itself. She smiles when she sees the professor. "August! OH, I was beginning to be worried that you weren't coming in today! I'm cooking the meal right now, right this very second." She begins to turn back around to go in, but her eyes catch on me. "Oooh, August, is this the boy you were telling us about! He sure is handsome!"  
The professor seems to look embarrassed for a moment. "Yes Lady Maya." He does a slight bow, and lifts my hand. "How is Sir Daeos doing?"  
"August, call us mom and dad, you know how we feel about you. Come on in boys, and bring your pokemon too, I've got a meal for both of them, I'm sure." She leads us in to the house, and Lisle is instantly stricken with Maya. He curls at her feet, purring. She takes a good look at us, and smiles kindly. "You two look absolutely stunning!" Then, she winks at me. "Good job getting him to dress up. If I ever see August in a lab coat again, it will be too soon! Even Daeos takes his off before he comes in the door! It's not becoming of your frame, August."  
She stops for a moment, and looks up. "In fact, speaking of the devil, here comes Daeos. Come in here honey, come see the Fine-Tom August has pulled in. Quite the mouser!" I pale slightly, and nudge Augustine gently. He looks up at me, and gives me a look. The man she was calling Daeos steps in, grizzled and war-torn. He limps heavily. I nod towards him, and he grins respectfully. Sycamore introduces me to them. He seems sheepish, at first. "Mom, Dad, this is Sir Leand-" I nudge him a little too hard in the ribs, feigning the movement as pulling him closer. "Erm. Lysandre." He turns towards me, and I threaten him with a gaze. He continues. "Lysandre, this is Lady Maya and Sir Daeos. They are like parents to me." I smile, and lower the top half of my body down.  
"It is an honor to be brought to your acquaintance." I'm forgetting my lessons as I speak. Great. I hadn't expected this at all.  
"Naw, don't go honoring us, our titles are given from war. They aren't inheritable." The man speaks, and I tremble slightly. Titles mean nothing to me, but I can respect these two. Since they mean so much to Augustine.  
"Oh- that is a fine name. Lysandre. Really rolls off the tongue. I can't believe you thought he was a foreigner, August." Maya is scolding Augustine playfully as she cooks. I smile at Lisle by her feet, but Daeos keeps his eyes on me. I can't tell if he is wary of me, or if he is simply off-guard. Either way, I wonder what the Professor is playing at, bringing me here. I glance around, and watch Corren curled up with the Pidgeot. At first, I wonder if they are mates, but then I realize that the Pidgeot is preening it, as if Corren was her offspring.  
Ah, so this is a place they spend a lot of time at. I wonder exactly how the Professor came into their lives. The two seem nice enough. I stand awkwardly for a moment, waiting for Sycamore to take me somewhere. Sycamore finally makes his way into wait I assume is possibly a den of some kind? A living area. He sits down on a sofa, and leads me down with him. Sir Daeos watches us for a second, with a kindly smile. "You two make yourselves at home, but I have some quick business to attend to out in the back real fast." With Daeos heading out the door, and Maya in the kitchen with Lisle and Corren (and her pidgeot) I find it a good a time as any to ask Sycamore what is going on. Our voices are hushed.  
"Augustine, what... why?"  
"I knew you wouldn't come if I told you exactly where I was taking you."  
"You... You may be right, but... why?"  
"I wanted you to meet them. They were beginning to ask odd questions about you."  
"What did you tell them I was to you?" The question comes out a little more pointed than I meant it. He looks at me curiously.  
"Un ami."  
"Yeah. That's what you told me they were to you. For all I know-"  
"They may have taken it a little differently." As he says this, he looks at my hand in his. I pull it back to me, fearfully. He gives me another one of those looks.  
"Well... as long as it makes you happy, Augustine." I'm unsure how that will hit him, but with that, I pull his hand back to me, carrying it in one of mine. "How am I expected to act?"  
"Be you." He says, rubbing a thumb on the back of my hand. The touch makes my stomach flutter. Great trios. Arceus almighty. I feel sick. I swallow. This was not what I expected at all. I'm unsure where this is going, but I pull him to me, and place my chin on his head. Like the night at the cafe' last year, before I'd opened it. I feel like this isn't disrespectful to the older couple, but it will convey what I feel Sycamore is trying to. I'm fairly confused as to why though. As long as it makes him happy, though.  
"What does Sir Daeos do for a living?" I ask, lightly, in a conversational tone. He smiles. "He works in my lab, actually. Not under me, precisely, but with me."  
I give a hum of acknowledgement. "How long have you known him?"  
"Since papa and maman passed. I was young then, they took me in."  
I look at him with curiosity, drawing my head back. "You didn't tell me."  
He shakes his head. "No, but there are some things you never told me either."  
I frown slightly. "Don't introduce me by my father's name." I'm reminded of his introduction.  
"Sorry, it slipped."  
"Do you introduce me like that to everyone?"  
"I haven't told anyone but them about you at all, and they aren't the gossiping kind."  
"Tell that to your lab assistants. In fact, I'm sure the lady at the reception desk thinks that we are... Well, you know." These words are purposefully pointed. He looks at me with a scowl.  
The professor shrugs, and I drop the subject. It isn't like I'm getting anywhere with it, anyway. I ask myself mentally- 'Are we really... you know?' I'm still confused as to how these things work. I may have to ask Jake later... Then again, that would be opening a whole new flaming circle of the Reverse Word, and that isn't what I'm trying to do here. I'm not quite ready to go there yet.  
Instead, I will sit here and endure this, and then try to find a way back home later. Soon, Daeos comes back in, and endless small-talk is made, while I mostly stay quiet, answer questions directed at me, and give small bits of opinion. I'm beginning to grow more used to Augustine's hand in mine, more used to eyes on the little bits of affection. Soon, I'm giving knowledge, thoughts on scientific subjects, and ideas of my own. I feel more comfortable, speaking of technology, because I'm inherently skilled with it. I can tell by now that Daeos is beginning to be less wary of me, more assured as to what Augustine sees in me.  
I loosen up by the time dinner is brought around, and Lisle sits beside me on one side, with Augustine on the other. We eat, and I slowly remember table-manners, instead of eating so guardedly. I'm getting less nervous around them, opening up because Augustine is here, and Lisle is laying his head on my leg. Calmer. The food is delicious, some sort of home-cooked roast. I am wary of the wine, brought by Daeos from his cellar, but I take some of that too, to keep from being rude.  
By the time the night is over, and Sycamore stumbles out of the door, I realize he may have had just a bit too much. I hadn't taken him for the drinking man, though he does inhale coffee like no one's business. Maya smiles warmly as I take the Professor by the arm. What have I gotten myself into? "You two be good now, okay darlings?" Her voice is sickly sweet. Daeos whispers to me as he waits with us to catch a cab (helping me get Corren back into his pokeball), "Be careful with my boy, ya hear? He's soft." Then, he is gone. I sit Augustine gently into the cab, and carefully sit on my side, as far away from him as I can get. I know he's not raging drunk, but he is a bit more tipsy than I'd like to deal with right now. I'm unsure of what to do... Should I drop him off at the hotel and leave him there? Should I at least make sure he gets up to his room? What exactly is proper here?  
As the trip goes on, I find him curled up against me, sleeping- or so I assume. I start to lean him over in the other direction, but he wads his fists up in my clothing, refusing to let go. He's mumbling something, but I'm unsure what. What have I gotten myself into? He seems fairly sobered up by the time we get there though, he seems to take his alcohol fairly well. When he steps out of the taxi, he is almost graceful. I follow suit, and stand behind him. He turns to me, and speaks. "Lysandre- do you have anywhere else to go tonight?" His words don't slur, and I wonder if he was faking the drunkenness earlier... Any excuse to cuddle up to me, perhaps?  
"Well, home."  
"Home." He repeats.  
I am confused for a moment, as he isn't making any kind of sense. However, he takes my hand. "Stay with me." My eyes widen, and he pulls my hand closer to him. I step forward, and swallow. "I think you are tipsy, Augustine." I feel the urge to run.  
He shakes his head. "I've been worse off before."  
"Worse off..." My turn to repeat. My mouth is suddenly very dry.  
"Plus, it is late. You won't have long to sleep before you have to come in to the Cafe' in the morning. I know your schedule. If it is any length away, you won't be getting any sleep." He tries reasoning with me, and I glance into his eyes. Bright grey, and warm. Begging. Who am I to say no? I've slept plenty of nights with him before. Never at his sleeping quarters, though. Always in that nook in the cafe'. Is it that much different?  
"Okay, Augustine. I'll stay." He busts into a wide smile, and my chest hums... Beautiful. I love to see him happy. He practically dances up the steps. It is so late that nearly no one is in the lobby, so I feel calmer about walking in. I allow Lisle out of his pokeball, and he purrs, seeing that the Professor is still here. He trots forward, pushing on my leg to make me get into the elevator. "Lisle, why are you so excited. Down boy, down." We stand there, and he enters the pin.  
7, 9 ,13, 56, 27, 2.  
Merciful Arceus, I did it again.  
By the time we are up to his floor, Sycamore is no longer tired looking, instead, he seems... He's blushing. I stand stark still, shuddering. I can see where this is going, and I'm unsure how I feel about it. A little hollow, I guess. Lisle however, is pushing me forward, and into Sycamore's embrace. Another kiss, enough to make me incredibly nervous. However, he is happy. He has given me so much happiness, I can never hope to pay him back.  
We part. "Augustine, are you-"  
"Come with me." His voice is strong.  
"But I-" He's leading me anyway. With him leading me, and Lisle pushing me, I allow myself to be brought into his sleeping quarters, where he stumbles back onto the bed, taking me with him. "Augustine..."  
"Lysandre?" He looks worried, his gaze piercing my soul.  
I answer, dryly. "Will it make you happy?" I figured that this was where we were headed. He always has some kind of a plan.  
A furrow between his eyes. "Why wouldn't it?" He's touching my chin, pulling me closer to him so he can kiss me again. I'm nervous. "Do you... not want to?"  
I sigh. How do I explain this to him? "I've never really wanted... that."  
"From me." Augustine tries to finish the sentence. He looks like I'd just told him that I hated him. I shake my head.  
"No- it's not that." I sit back, and look at Lisle, who is eying us both curiously from the foot of the bed. "If from anyone, I'd want it to be you." He loosens up again. I'd nearly insulted him, and I can't take that. "No- it's... Well, I've never..."  
Augustine laughs, and it makes me utterly confused. He smiles, and speaks. "You do know that I'm not expecting you to be a virgin, right? That would be laughable, you are nearly my age." He's chuckling. "Arceus knows I'm not, not even close. Surely you've heard? Running a Cafe' definitely means that you hear some things."  
I cock my head slightly, allowing the confusion to show on my face.  
"Wait- you aren't telling me that you are, are you?" He sits up, blinking. His face is pure disbelief. At this point, I'm incredibly nervous, even worse off than before. "You are completely serious..." I pull away, and turn.  
"Why? Waiting for the right one, or something equally 'noble'?"  
I really don't want to be having this conversation, it is making me nervous. "No. I just... never wanted it." Don't trust people enough. Among other things. Understanding crosses his face suddenly. He doesn't push it any further, instead, he lays back on the bed his head on the pillow. He looks serene, furthering the Xerneas comparison. I wonder if I look dangerous, like Yveltal. I weigh my options, and Lisle bumps his head to my back, trilling a purr. I glance at the pyroar, and then back to Sycamore.  
"Would it make you happy?" I ask.  
"That doesn't matter, your companionship is more important to me, and I will not make you uncomfortable for my sake." He is completely serious. I smile. He's so beautiful, so perfect.  
"Disregard that. Would it make you happy?"  
"Not if it makes you unhappy." His eyes are closed.  
I lean over him, and Lisle pushes me lower to him. "Augustine... Would it make you happy." This time, it's not a question. "If you are happy, then I am happy."  
He opens his eyes, and I swear I can see his spirit. The answer swims in his eyes, so I stand up, turning off the light. He doesn't argue with this, so I quickly untie the tie, and fold it gently on the nightstand. Same for my jacket, and shirt. There... A Bit better. I feel too bare, but with Lisle's reassuring purr, and the obscuring darkness, I'm not terribly afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Listened To While Writing This:  
> None :p That's a first.
> 
> This is the longest chapter so far, with 10,000-ish words.  
> Jake is fun to write.  
> Past Sycamore and Past Lysandre are a mix between cute, and freaking idiotic when it comes to each-other. GRAH.


	6. Eight O'Clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't as scary as I thought it was going to be. Actually, it's a little cute, and equally heart-wrenching, in my opinion. I had a really hard time writing this, due to the nature of the last third of this chapter.

A buzzing tone rudely blares next to my ear, and I sit up, heart hammering. A fear is running through me, chasing my blood through my veins. Afraid that I have only seconds left, anxious that Lysandre's plan had bloomed to fruition. A few moments tick by, and the sound abates. I slowly come back to myself, unafraid, still breathing just a small bit quickly. I realize where the noise was coming from, and toss my hand over in the general area.  
Oh, the nightstand. What had I left on the nightstand? The wood is grainy under my fingertips, and it strikes me as odd. Then again, everything is odd right now, nothing is quite right. The air is even more still, and I have this odd feeling of being watched. I pull the coverlet further up my body, over my chest self-consciously.  
At first, I grab Lysandre's red card mistakenly, and transfer it to my other hand. It may be useful, at some point. Then, as I try again, my hand touches something cold and metal... Round. I search mentally for the identity of this strange object, and it hits me- my Holocaster. Apparently one of us had enough foresight to put it on the nightstand instead of somewhere on the floor. Who would be calling me right now? I can imagine it might be one of my coworkers, they are probably worried because I haven't come in to work, or called in at all. Well, it's recorded now, so I can check it without fear of being seen. Despite this, I sit up, and rub my head, and grinding the sleep from my eyes. Then, I'm groping on the floor, feeling around for my clothing. The pile on the carpet is making it difficult to tell where everything is.  
The shock of Lysandre being gone this morning is gone, numbed by time. It makes sense, of course he'd tire me out to nullify my threat to his plans before leaving.  
Despite this, the house being empty still bothers me immensely. This place seems like the homelier sort of place, a place for family. Warm, and small, but I can see small signs of his pokemon everywhere. As I finish pulling on the majority of my clothes, and begin searching for my lab coat, I begin to grow more confident. I allow rage to fill me. I'm not an angry person, so the feeling is very foreign... I welcome it, however. The change is well-needed. My fingers fumble and then grasp the lab coat, and I pull it on lightly, over my shirt, found moments before and thrown on. The red card is slid into a pocket. I like the animosity, it is a change of pace.  
How dare he.  
He has betrayed my trust completely, and I can't deal with that. I will not sit silently and do nothing. Instead- I...  
Wait, the Holocaster. I swallow my anger for a moment. Might as well see what is going on, it will help me in the long run. I pick it up, holding it a little too hard, and press the replay button.  
Lysandre's image flickers for a moment, a grainy quality abnormal in the Holocasters. I grit my teeth for a moment, and frown. Then, I'm shaking the holocaster, in an attempt to see if the grainy issue is with the machine. Nothing changes. Hmm... Very odd. After a moment, static fuzzes over the picture, something that shouldn't happen if this was on the secure network. Odd. Maybe they were all malfunctioning now that Team Flare was making their move to take over? After seventeen seconds of a grainy and non-moving image, a voice is projected, Lysandre's. Suddenly, the image is moving. He stands haughtily, his gaze smoldering.  
"Professor Sycamore- if you are seeing this, then you are awake." He shifts a bit, as if swallowing a word or two. "I am giving you warning, before everyone else gets theirs. Soon, there will be a more... Formal, announcement of my plans. However, I have a special set of words for you-" He sneers the words next. "Mon Amour." His face is painted with over-exaggerated distaste. "You have completely fallen for MY act. You have been feeding me information all this while- and honestly, I'd have never gotten THIS far without you. You have been tricked this ENTIRE time." His voice is grand on certain words, he throws his head back. "It was a stroke of genius to choose you to be watched! In fact, you are being watched right now- fool. Try anything, and you won't live to feel the cold grip of the machine!" He glances towards the holocaster at this point, and his eyes are fully visible.  
"Your precious students will never be able to stop me, and with you disposed, we will be free to do whatever we please. This is Adieu to you, you will not see me again." At this he raises his hand, and places a finger on his mega-ring. Then, cryptically- "Eight-o'-clock, and don't be late. The rules have changed."  
Something is wrong, and the feeling hits me instantly, smothering the flame of my animosity. I furrow my brows, and blink, curiously. Suddenly, I sharply intake a gulp of air, and go back through the message, doing my best to look completely pissed off. "YOU BASTARD." Then, I notice it. When he turns full towards the Holocaster, his eyes are filled with a look meant only for me. Pain, hurt, worry. Then, he touches his mega-ring. Ah, I see now. I glance to my left, on the ground, and notice a closet. I gently open it, and see a flash above the door. However, I don't inspect the flash. I guessed that much. Instead, I gaze across all of the coats in the closet, most are doubles. I pull out the double of the one he wears must often, and hold it in my arms for a moment, with a scowl on my face- acting as well as I can.  
I throw the coat over my back, the fur lining around the neck hanging around my shoulders, and I tie the sleeves together around my neck loosely. It's comforting, to be so enveloped in his smell. I'm sure he won't mind me holding onto this.  
I turn back towards the door, and walk calmly out of the room. I pass the left side of the room without looking at it at all. My destination is the front door. I slip the Holocaster into my pocket along the way, absent-mindedly. His words are whizzing through my mind, haunting me.  
'I am giving you a warning.'  
'You have been feeding me information all this while.'  
'You have been tricked this entire time.'  
'I'd never have gotten this far without you.'  
'You are being watched right now.'  
'Try anything, and you won't live to feel the cold grip of the machine.'  
'Eight-o'-clock, don't be late.'  
'The rules have changed.'  
'Mon Amour.' My heart soars.  
This was the hint, and I'm proud he thinks me intelligent enough to figure this one out. I'm thinking that it is a call for me to leave, probably hinting a direction... Yes. Of course. There was a camera in that direction in the room- I could see the glint of it when I turned the holocaster on, and again when I opened the closet.  
Aha. My anger abates, as I begin to leave the house. However, a strange shudder down my spine made me rethink leaving out of the front door. Instead, I notice a door to my left, at precisely eight o-clock from the front door. I turn and open it, my hand gliding across the cold and slick bronze... I realize that this room must be were he kept Ysire. Shiny bits and pieces lie everywhere, and in a corner, a nest is constructed out of bits of golden and silver chain and shimmering ribbons in an arsenal of colors, laced with feathers as black as night. I smile at it, recognizing a few of the oddities here and there. The coin I'd found around three years ago in Couriway, I'd thought that it was lost... Seems like it wound up here. That little thief! It's difficult to be aggravated at Ysire though. Tiny golden rings with glittering red stones, Lysandre's family was famous for things like this. I blush as I pull a cuff-link from inside the nest... I can remember where this came from.  
I bring it to my eyes, and grin. I'd wandered where this went... I drop it back into the nest. As good a final resting place for that memory as any.  
After a moment of casting my eyes around the room, I find a tuft of white fur stuffed under the windowsill. I inspect it, and realize that the window has a card slot in it. I slowly move the vermilion curtain over just an inch, and look outside. Aha, another alleyway. This one twisted into four different exits. Lysandre often praised my intellect, and even now, I can tell that Eight-o'-Clock is my ticket out of here, safer than taking the front door, which is definitely under surveillance. I slip the card from my pocket, and into the card slot. The window slides open with ease, and I take a moment to slip the red card back into my pocket before hoisting myself out of it. The window is low to the ground and doesn't open far, so I have to stoop as I get out. I pretty much roll myself out of it, a bit clumsy. Afterwards, I close the window, and take a look around.  
The air is damp here, and dusty. A little cold, and hidden from sunlight. I'm grateful that my eyes are adjusted to the low light from being in the room.  
Four pathways, all twisting into the maze of buildings. Most people avoid these more labyrinth-like alley-ways in town, and most of the buildings don't open up out into them, for fear of burglary. I smile, and blink, the feeling of being watched gone. Eight-o'-clock. I take the second alleyway, the one the closest to being eight-o'-clock from here. After a few twists and turns, my heart thumping, my eyes adjusting to the dark even better, I step out into the light of the busiest street in town. The light is too harsh, causing me to squint. A small sound escapes me. I can feel a more jovial tone. It feels idiotic for everyone to be so happy, so ignorant of what is really going on. The people busy around, going to work, playing with children, shopping, eating at cafe's...  
For once, Lumiose doesn't seem quite right. It shouldn't feel like this, even in the day. Not today, at least. I can't help but wonder what it would be like, after the weapon hits. Will everyone just crumble to the ground, broken? Will everyone simply disappear? Or worse... Will the whole world rot? Is it just going to kill people and pokemon, or all forms of life? The thought of this street being completely empty and silent is foreign. It makes me shake. I can't let that happen, not even for Lysandre. I can't believe I was just going to let this happen... To sit in that room being watched until I expired.  
I'm not a fighter. However, I won't lay down and die.  
No one even notices me, because apparently lunch-hour is upon us. I smirk. It occurs to me that this is why I never figured out where Lysandre lives. It's impossible to keep up with anyone amongst this mess. 'Haha- Lysandre, this is how I never realized where you lived, isn't it? You sneaky...' I melt into the crowd, and concentrate on what would be my next course of action... I need my pokemon. I'd left them in my lab the night before, thank Arceus, because if I'd left them at home, I'd be in a pickle. There is no doubt in my mind that there is surveillance in the top hotel room by now. I wonder how long there has been... It makes me frown. If someone were trying to use my private life as leverage, they'd have already done it. It still makes me uneasy.  
I'm unsure what's going on, despite my talent of being able to tell when something is wrong with Lysandre... What does he mean, the rules have changed? What rules? I ponder on this for a moment... Does he mean the RULE has changed? I have a tendency to work at a problem from all angles, but this one is simply not unraveling. However, I have to push that aside right now, because he'd said it, he'd called me His Love. Nothing else really matters when it comes to that. He could still be playing a game with me, but somehow, I doubt that. He risked a lot telling me how to leave.  
Why would he be having me watched, but leave me a clue as to how to leave? He could be watching me now... But it would be much more easy if he'd just made it impossible for me to leave the house. It doesn't really add up. I enter the lab, and realize something... It's too quiet. The receptionist isn't at her post, and the lobby is empty. The air is unstirred, and smells of disinfectant. I am confused, and then fearful. In a panic, I sprint to the elevator, and hastily press the button for the second floor. After a few seconds and a short elevator ride, I realize that the second floor is empty too. Silent, all silent. No one testing at the squirtle station, no one working on any projects... My chest aches. It is emptier than the first day I'd come back to work after Sir Daeos passed away. Not only is the heart and soul of the floor gone, but all of it's inhabitants are as well. I check thoroughly for any kind of note. No clues at all. I think the worst, but have to keep my head on straight. I scrounge through my things, and pull out four poke-balls. Corren, Carlote, Bruce and Vanessa. All here- that's a relief. However, the relief is short-lived. Without a second thought, I'm traveling to the top floor. As I step out, I know something is wrong.  
Professor Maple is gone.  
Since her ascent into Professor-hood, Malonie has been here every day. She refuses to leave to head her own lab, because that would mean not living near Ollie anymore, and she's waiting for him to pop the question. I figure he will any day now... Malonie is a very studious woman, a dedicated worker. She comes to work even in the worst of weather, in the worst of times, sometimes (to my disdain) when she is really ill. Malonie Maple is completely committed to her job. However, there is someone else here. Someone that I've never seen before. I tense at the sound of the voice.  
"Hullo, professor." The voice is high-pitched, and very foreign.  
I nearly jump out of my skin, and reflexively call out my Charizard, Carlote. She rears, and curls around me protectively, her tail flickering in front of my face. "Chaaar." Her voice is deep, and powerful- she is a smaller Charizard, however. Perfect for guarding me in this rather large room. The girl sitting in my chair isn't phased by the roar, or by anything else for that matter. A Mandibuzz looms over my chair, leaning it's head on it's master's golden shock of shiny hair. The girl smiles, her black glasses glinting the flame of Carlote's tail. She wears the orange suit of Team Flare. I clench my fists.  
Not a fighter. I won't go down. My own thoughts ringing in my skull.  
"Nuh-uh-uh." She says, wagging a finger. "You don't wanna fight me." She stands up, and I realize that she is just barely an adult, probably nineteen. Young and fragile in appearance, but she isn't taking anything from anyone. She has a rebellious tone, and the way she holds herself projects 'Been there, Done that, Seen this.' She reminds me of Daeos' youngest daughter, who would be near her age, in fact. Always a strong girl. The girl points to the corner of the room, where I can see, in my Charizard's tail light, a tiny camera. I'd never noticed it there before- however, I've never had a reason to look for it. The girl smiles. "I turned 'er off remotely, and told yer people ta go home."  
I can't believe what I'm seeing and hearing. My blood courses my veins like Rhyhorn around a racetrack. I swallow, but say nothing. I won't compromise myself with words. She continues. "Professor, you better get going, they's gonna be here soon, and you don't wanna be here when they get here. Uh-uh. I sure as heck ain't gonna be. I's just an assistant to the Scientists, they're a hell lot worse than me." Her accent is terribly Unovian. She begins to walk past me, and Carlot snaps at her, but she doesn't flinch. "Go get your assistants, them kids. You's gonna need em'." Her Mandibuzz follows her, as if she is carrion as opposed to a trainer. "C'mere, Essa." The girl whispers, holding a scrap of meat behind her back. The Mandibuzz opens it's beak, and clacks it. An odd display, but I'm not familiar with this particular pokemon enough to really know if it's odd or not.  
"You- why are you helping me?" I ask, my voice unsteady. Great. Compromised.  
She simply sneers. "The name's Lacie, and tell Jake Fluer-de-Lis I don't owe him a fucking thing no-more. The life debt's been repaid. Got it, Professor Heartthrob?" Her voice is hot, and pointed, reminding me of a branding iron. She turns, and bashes the window out, before stepping out into thin air. For a moment, she seems to hang there, her hair glistening like a wild ray of sunshine. Her flesh is pale, nearly glowing in the noon's light. It occurs to me that people shouldn't be jumping out of windows. Her Mandibuzz follows her as she drops, however. I run to the window fearing she'd committed suicide, but I can see that the vulture pokemon caught her, and she is flying away now. Far faster than I'd be able to catch up. I blink. What a strange girl... Well, I don't know a Jake, but I sure as the Distortion World know that last name.  
"Lysandre- do you have a brother I don't know about? A bastard your father gave his royal name to?" I let the question hang in the air for only a split second. No point in even asking, I'd showed him my family, but he never told me anything about his. I sigh before mounting my Charizard, leaning my head in-between her shoulder blades, my legs swung over the front of her wings. "You ready, Carlote?" She knows what to do.  
"CHAR." With this, she burst from the window, the window I have stared out of nearly every morning, sipping my coffee and wishing I was anywhere but here. The window that had become quite iconic to me the past few years, reminding me to go see something beautiful... It will be sorely missed, but windows are easily replaced, better than the whole lab. Her wings fold to her to get past the window, but she still busts the wall out in a wide circle, bricks and mortar hitting the ground below. Well, that is going to be costly to replace. "Don't worry, you tried..." I whisper, keeping my head ducked. I am sure that people are staring, wondering what is going on. I'm desperate not to be seen, however. The cape of Lysandre's over-sized tied-around my neck jacket billows in the wind behind me... I feel like a super-hero for a couple of quick seconds. Picturesque. I feel a falling sensation, and I fear that Carlote has broken her wings exiting the window... Then, she opens her wings with a jerk of her lean muscles, stopping the sickening falling feeling in my throat, but jolting me. I feel very ill, but swallow. We are flying now, steadily, her wings are flapping hard, pulling us higher into the sky. I realize that she has sustained a bit of damage from the wall she busted, but it is nothing for her- I've seen her in worse a shape. "You okay, Carlote?"  
She rumbles in reply, flapping her wings with grace that shocks me. A bleeding wound has opened across her left flank- a gash from the wall's internals. It was probably very dumb for me to take that route, but as I glance down, I can see the labs being rushed- orange suited people filing in quickly. Carlote is waiting my directions, hovering in the air with mighty wing-beats. I glance down, and swallow, seeing thousands of people walking the streets three hundred feet below me. None of them are thinking about looking up now, or else they'd see me. I'd feared they would watch me because of my fancy exit, but who am I kidding? Lumiose is a loud city, and the people are always busy and arrogant. Carlote rumbles again, and I pat her back. "Don't worry Carlote. Now, we need to find Dexio and Sina." I pull my holocaster from my pocket, but an eerie memory rings in me. 'You are being watched...' I drop the holocaster as we pass out of Lumiose, and watch it shatter on a bit of pavement. I'll just have to find them myself. Calling them at this point would not be a great idea. The Holocasters were invented by Lysandre's team... The systems are definitely compromised. I'd know Lysandre was watching the feeds for some time, but now, I'm afraid of something other than the immensely private man.  
"I hope we get there in time, Carlote." Time is definitely running out. I have to find Sina and Dexio very soon, because time is not on our side. "I bet they will be..." Where do those two go on their days off? I try to recall a memory. Aha. "Carlote, I want you to go to Cyllage. Remember, the place where you evolved from a Charmeleon to a Charizard?" The charizard rumbles, and changes her course. I know that's where I will find them, sitting on the rock facing, watching the waves.  
I stare at the ground for a moment as we sweep lowly over it. It has been so long since I have taken a flight anywhere, so the scenes shifting below me amaze me. Streams of water, the Parfume palace, a roller-skating park (gah, I never was great on skates!), and a few more cities slide beneath me. Then, we are weaving through a mountainous area. Beautiful. Wondrous. Magnificent. "Magnifique." Despite the fact that I feel sick, that is. I won't get sick though, I haven't eaten since last night. I tell myself this, anyway.  
Carlote quickens her speed now that she has a destination, and I tighten my arms around her neck. Flying has always made me just a little bit ill. I think I'll rest on this trip.  
\-----------------------------------  
"Oh- Arceus be damned. Fuck. Lys, Lys- Brother!" I am at my wit's end now. As soon as the boss turned away from me, he fell. He's heavy as hell, being so tall, at least five inches over me- at the very least seventy pounds over me as well. I can hardly keep him up using both of my arms, and I'm no light-weight myself. I am off-balance, but quickly regain my stance. I slowly lower him to the ground, laying him back carefully. His eyes are rolled back. "Boss- fuck... Lys!" I'm afraid to shake him, or really move him at all. Damn stubborn Camerupt- he absolutely refuses to go get this checked, and it's apparently really bad. I place a finger to his neck under his beard, and breathe out. Pulse found, thank the great and merciful Victini. "I swear, if you fucking die before you tell me what we've gotta do..." Tears were already in my eyes, and now they are spilling messily. I'm not a crier, but I'm afraid now. Not that I'd ever tell anyone that, not at all. I don't let the emotion overcome me. I've gotta be strong now.  
Lisle is running over, his paws flattening the grass, and my Soma is chasing after him, both of their tails are raised in worry, stiff as boards. Panic is written all over Lisle's maw, it shines from his eyes. Soma's ears are pricked, and she's standing by my side, whining, pulling her lips back to show teeth. Something is afoot. Lisle licks Lysandre's face with a raspy tongue. I wonder if that would bother Lys or not. I glance around, and finally realize what Soma is so nervous about. Another team Flare member, an Admin, is treading through the swamp ahead of us on the route. They are turned away from us right now, trying to pull themselves from the muck. I can hear their voice- "Uck- why was I stationed here, of all places!" I can't tell who it is from here, but I know this probably isn't good.  
I decide hastily that moving Lysandre, despite his heaviness and his current malady, would be best. I'm sure that if the Admin notices us, we are in some deep problems that neither of us can simply explain away. I lift up his shoulders, and begin to pull him into the forest surrounding the park. I thank all the legendaries that the trees are wide enough apart to grant me entrance with Lys' bulky form, but aren't too spaced out to hide.  
"Gah- Lisle, Soma, help me out. 'Es heavy." Lisle and Soma are incredibly strong, both of them grab on to my legs by my pants -their maws gentle despite both being carnivorous- and we pull back quickly but gently. I'm trying not to hurt Lys more than he already is. After a moment, he's obscured in the bushes, we all are. I watch the Admin walk past, and glance around, before entering the gatehouse to the city. I breathe out after holding my breath for long enough to make sure that the Admin is gone. Then, I begin to attend to Lysandre, making sure he's laying flat, checking his head to make sure that he wasn't harmed...  
He blinks, his eyes beginning to focus. I probably look a sight! However, I am relieved. Now that I know what this is, it will be easier for me to deal with it. "Hello Lysandre. This is Jake, and you've had a concussion. You were out for a good three minutes there, brother." I try to keep myself calm, but my voice cracks. I smile. He seems confused, but hastily attempts to get up. "I'm fine, I'm fine." He takes a moment to clear his mind.  
After he seems to be coherent enough, I shake my head. "Lys, you are not fine. We really need to get that checked. If you die from this..." Lisle drapes himself over Lysandre, and Soma tugs at my arm. I glance around- no one is out. "You gotta tell me what happened, what's going on?"  
"Don't worry about that Jake. We've got worse on our hands right now than my simple concussion." He's not taking my questions right now, and it's making my stomach roil.  
"Bouffalant Shit. If that is a simple concussion, then I am a preteen girl." My naturally argumentative side shows when I'm nervous. Lysandre shoots me a look, and I turn my gaze to the ground. I don't mean to make this worse off on him. "Sorry Boss." I'm ashamed.  
"We've got to take the first steps, Jake. I've got to get Augustine out of there." He's sitting up now, and then pulls himself to standing. He's shaky- so I lay a hand on him. He still doesn't take the touch well, but I can deal with that. "Watch out boss, I saw an Admin earlier."  
"Is this why we are in a significantly different spot than before I lost consciousness?" Good, his memory is coming back from before the incident. I hope that means that everything is better than it seems with him. Maybe he just bumped his head earlier... He is tall enough to have that problem.  
"Yes-sir." I answer, smiling. I can't hide my worry, however. He's standing now, and pulling a holocaster from his pocket. "I've got to play the part. I'm going to give Augustine some hints as to how to leave where he is at." His voice is distracted.  
"Say boss, where is he?" I'm curious. As soon as I ask, Lysandre's face burns red. I laugh a bit. "I figured that, Lys." Leave it to Lysandre to be modest, even in a time like this. They are incredibly sweet together, I wish I'd known of this before now, because I'm sure this is probably not going to wind up like I hope it will. I'd like to have seen them sweet on one another, without a guillotine on a pendulum swinging over our heads. However, Lysandre is a private person, so it doesn't bother me terribly that he kept it from me. None of my business anyway, and one doesn't bite the hand that feeds. "I'm guessing you're going to give him the window route?"  
"Planning on it. I've already got a clue that will tip him off the whole way through. I've got to word this perfectly, and play it exact." I watch a wave of coldness travel across his face, and suddenly, it's all business. It's always amazed me that he can do that so quickly. Tears are still on my face. I wipe them off, and stay silent. He is pressing the record button on the holocaster after setting up a blind-frequency. They'll find it, but this should give that Professor some time.  
He begins, appearing completely insane, and arrogant. I haven't seen him this way, ever. It's too over the top.  
"Professor Sycamore- if you are reading this, then you are awake. I am giving you warning, before everyone else gets theirs. Soon, there will be a more... Formal, announcement of my plans. However, I have a special set of words for you-"  
His face is twisted at this, but I can see his fingers clench behind his back. "Mon Amour." Minute signs of regret all over him, a trembling in his left leg the most apparent. I prepare to catch him if he falls. Lisle is pushed up against his leg, bracing him. Lys really loves that guy, and it shocks me. I swallow. Enough to do this, even though the scientists are watching- Lacie tells me that they check all the broadcasts on holocasters. I'm sure Lys of all people knows about that. He probably ordered it to be that way.  
"You have completely fallen for MY act. You have been feeding me information all this while- and honestly, I'd have never gotten THIS far without you. You have been tricked this ENTIRE time." He exagerates a look of triumph- as if he has what he wants. This breaks my heart, of course. He'll never have what he wants, the way he's talking.  
"It was a stroke of genius to choose you to be watched! In fact, you are being watched right now- fool. Try anything, and you won't live to feel the cold grip of the machine!" There are tears in his eyes, but I know that holocasters are too grainy to show it. He doesn't blink, he looks full-force into the feed.  
"Your precious students will never be able to stop me, and with you disposed, we will be free to do whatever we please. This is Adieu to you, you will not see me again." The top corner of his mouth trembles. He's saying a final goodbye to his... Boyfriend? Lover? Well, he said he'd never told him that he loved him, so I'm unsure which word would be more correct here. I look away out of embarassment, but he's not paying attention to me. I am not a fan of prying into other's lives. I'd never be cut out to monitor the holocaster conversations.  
"Eight-o'-clock, and don't be late. The rules have changed." I hope desperately for Lysandre that this Professor is as intelligent as everyone claims, so that this attempt will not be wasted on him. Lysandre stops the feed, and tears roll down his cheek. I'm surprised he was able to hold them back this long. "Lys, you might want to-" He does it before I can even finish the sentance, crushing the device. He tosses it in the woods somewhere. He turns away, and drops to his knees, his forehead against Lisle's. Soma whines, and rubs against my side. I stroke her black mane, and frown. "Damn Lys, what do I need to do now? Wait- I've got it." He glances at me, and I can tell his head hurts. He's squinting.  
Such control over himself, but he's allowing me this little glimpse of weakness.  
I pull a cellular phone from my pocket- not even a holocaster, something that will not be tapped into by the Team. I press the three on the pad, and turn around.  
"Yo- this is Lacie, whassup?" I smile, but only slightly at her jovial tone.  
"Lacie- I have something I need you to do." My voice is hushed.  
"Fuck Jake, leave me 'lone. We's workin' on the final bits o' the plan." A mettallic noise sheers in the background, metal against metal. Her voice has an unmistakably annoyed tone, so different than before.  
I drop my voice an octave. "Lacie, I'm not meaning that. I'm not joking right now. Arceus Be DAMNED. Listen." My voice takes on a serious edge. "You remember, that time-"  
The time in Unova, when I saved her from that bitch of a mother she had. That ugly hag... She was- was- UGH. I can't even bare to think it. That completely sickens me absolutely. Stupidly arrogant generation, the generation of my parents'- Lacie was nearly a victim of their idiocy. Luckily, I am a bleeding heart. That Arceus-damned hag was looking to make a quick buck, and it was the day before Lysandre and I were going to leave for Kalos. I didn't take kindly to seeing her mother do what she did, and lucky for Lacie- Lysandre has an aunt that couldn't have children- she was more than happy to take the 'Charmingly Unovian' girl. To try to tame her. Lysandre had saved me, and I had saved Lacie with his help. She always felt like she was in my debt, however- even after I'd told her she wasn't. She refused to think otherwise. "How you said you always wanted to pay off your debt?" I hate using it as leverage, but I have to do what I've got to do now. The Unovian way, if needed.  
She's silent for a moment, and then sighs. "Wut do ya' need, Jake?" She's tapping on the phone, a nervous tick. "Will ya' leave me 'lone after this? Quit joking at me all tha time?" Her vocabulary is still marred with an accent, one I'd been able to mostly kick, despite the fact that she'd been educated, like me, by the best. Some stains one just can't wash out.  
My heart sinks, but I love her enough to give her peace. "Yes Lacie, of course. You could've asked that of me sooner, I don't mean to antagonize you. No excuses for that, though. Pretty damn low of me." I swallow. "I want you to go to that Professor's lab in Lumiose. Yeah. That one. Go there, and blank out the communications. Send all the workers home. If that professor is not there, wait for him to be. Then, tell him to... Tell him to get a-hold of his assistants-"  
She doesn't even wait for me to finish. Her voice is a flurry of heat. "By the Cold One- ya do know tat it can get me killed, Mable has that place mark'd out fo' turn-in! I-s'll have to scramble to get there in time!" Her anger abates as soon as it was shown- I know she is incredibly smart. She ponders for a moment, before speaking. "Why, Jake. You could've kepp me in your debt for'ver- why are you even'ing the debt fo' tis?" Undoubtedly, she is trying to gauge where the order is coming from, and how important it is.  
I sigh, lightly. "Because, Lacie- that Professor is instrumental to the plans. The Scientists have to be kept in the dark until the last minute. The Boss's orders." I added the last bit for her amusement. She's always watched things like that damn Mandibuzz she raised from an egg, and stuck her beak where it doesn't belong. I'm humoring her with this.  
I can hear her become suspicious. "Aha- I knows it all 'long!" She whispers, and cackles, her voice is excitement personified. "Sure, I'll go save Professor Heartthrob for yeh's. I don't owe ye' a damn thin' afta this, ya' 'ere?" She hangs up, before I can say a thing to refute her assumption. I turn to Lysandre, who looks fairly ill at the sound of it. I speak merely to stave the awkwardness.  
"That should get him out of harm's way today, I'm sure he'll go back to his lab once he gets your cast." I nod to Lys, and he nods back.  
"Thank you Jake."  
I consider for a moment asking him my questions again, if only because I really need to know what is going on. After looking back at him, I'm sure he'll tell me.  
"No problem, brother. I'd do anything for you." I am standing now, and emerging from the bushes. "What do you need of me now, Sir?" I try my best to get back into my Team Flare 'all business' mode. Soma trots to my side, and stands alert. I pat her back, thinking. 'You lucky bitch, you and Lisle are the only ones out of us that will be able to keep your love after this is all said and done.' Lysandre follows me, and stands straight, Lisle pressed up against his flank.  
"If you really must know-" He begins. I can see that same look in his eyes, the look that he gave me when he told me I was too curious when I was younger, and had pulled a stunt to spy on a neighbor... He's quiet for a moment, and I can pretty much see the gears in his head turning, carefully considering how much information he wants to give me... "I was kicked."  
"I'm uninterested in the circumstances-" He cuts me off, a soft look in his eyes. It occurs to me that he's looking past me.  
"Jake. It's bad. I'm hallucinating when I lose consciousness. Like some sort of waking dream- watching a movie. Lucid. If what I'm planning doesn't do me in, this will. Stop asking about it, and let's spend the time we've got fixing the problem. They are going to make the world ugly. They will Mar it beyond repair, worsen it instead of better it." His voice is gentle, as if he is calming me down, talking me down from a ledge that I'm about to leap. I don't know what to say. He turns away, and begins again. "Now, I'm going to need you to do everything I say, that way you'll be safe when I-" At this, he trails off, whispering to me lightly as we begin to head back into Lumiose. Now that the holocaster is gone, I'm sure that Xerosic will have a harder time keeping tabs on us. I nod every now and then.  
I can't believe that I am agreeing to this, but if it is what Lysandre desires... I can't say no. Everything he's ever wanted is riding on this- and something is causing him to think against what he's been planning for at least a year now. So it must be way worse than I could comprehend... Or maybe the concussion is getting to him. However, he won't let me get it checked. I'm backed into a corner, like a snarling Houndoom. I thread my fingers through Soma's mane. She's looking up, and wagging her tail every so often, but keeping alert. As we enter the labs, she looks up again. I'm curious so I cast my gaze towards the sky as well, quick enough to see a Charizard in the air. Between the cafe' and the walls of the building opposite, I'm sure that no one can see me watch it fly. The glimpse is fleeting, because the buildings block the view. Lysandre's Professor has a Charizard... "Deoxys' Speed." I wish for him... I'm a romantic at heart, I hope that he makes it. Then, I enter the Cafe'.  
We are definitely going to have to pull this out of our asses. I'm hoping that the Professor is worth Lysandre's praise, and that he knows what he's doing. Now, it's time for me to get working.  
\-----------------------------------  
"Will it make you happy?"  
His words don't make sense. My brow furrows with confusion. He seems... Hesitant. Why would he be hesitant? Why now? Hadn't our evening went grand? He'd seemed to melt in front of Maya and Daeos, at first he'd been nervous, but even I could tell that he liked them. They are great people, anyone would fall for them. "Why wouldn't it?" I stroke his chin, smiling, beckoning him closer. I've done this more times than I could count, but this feels very different. Lysandre makes all the difference. He isn't here because I'm the Professor and he needs a raise or a grant... He's here because he (hopefully) enjoys my company.  
That makes it special, right there. Special enough to show him to Sir Daeos, who is notoriously picky when his daughters bring their significant others to him. Sir Daeos had trusted him with me while I was supposedly 'drunk'- my final test, and Daeos is a great judge of character. In fact, Lysandre is the only person I've ever brought to that sacred place in my life. He's different.  
However, now I'm wondering if I've misread his intentions or not. I pull him to me and softly plant a kiss on his lips... The smell of his cologne is intoxicating. He never changed it, always using that same smell. I'm unsure if my heart will ever stop racing when I can smell it. I move into the kiss, deepening it, but he's shuddering- nervous. I pull back, worriedly. "Do you... not want to?" The idea of that was so foreign to me earlier, but now it seems increasingly likely. I pull away, again. I took all the precautions, figured that I was right in the assumption that he felt the same way. He'd allowed my affections, the kisses, holding him... He'd allowed me to open up to him in ways that I don't open up with others. Voicing my fears, my concerns, and my aspirations... He understood when I finally told him about my failed dream, my lack of self-confidence...  
There are many things that simple friends do together. I can tell the difference, even if I'm not very skilled at making 'just friends'. However, I'd thought that we were... Closer? Well, I've never acknowledged to him that I've felt closer. I've been too afraid that it would change something.  
He sighs, and my heart sinks. "I've never really wanted... that."  
I fight a frown, and it's a losing battle. "From me." The rejection stings, but I can't bring myself to pull away from him. He's shaking his head though, and making me more confused with every second.  
Am I not good enough? Is that it?  
"No- it's not that." His voice seems unsure. He glances back to his Pyroar, probably for comfort. He's a little far away from me now, closer to Lisle. I don't understand. "If from anyone, I'd want it to be you." I can't help but feel a little better. This somewhat comforts me, even if I don't understand why he's making a fuss out of this. What does he mean, if anyone, with me? What? "No- it's... Well, I've never..."  
I break out a grin, and giggle. Seriously, he can't be pulling this one over me. Surely he knows I'm not that daft. Seriously? Is he insinuating that he is a virgin? Does he think that it matters for him to be? Has he not -heard-? I'm laughing fairly hard now, and he seems to shy away from me at that. I hold my tongue for a moment. "You do know that I'm not expecting you to be a virgin, right? That would be laughable, you are nearly my age." Honestly, out of everything, he worries about -that-? I sincerely doubt he's made it this far in life without having some form of relations. Maybe with women? Does he mean that he's never been with a male before? I can't help but laugh again. I still can't believe that of all the things I thought he'd finally lie to me about (not that he has before) that THIS is the one he finally chooses. "Arceus knows I'm not, not even close. Surely you've heard? Running a Cafe' definitely means that you hear some things." I wouldn't try the same trick, everyone knows I'm not at all celibate, in fact, quite the reverse. I'm not one to refuse myself something unless there is good reason.  
Also, why should I hide a talent? I'm no stranger to this situation, I was quite young when I found myself in it for the first time. Luckily, Kalos is a forgiving place for such things. Professor Rowan had scolded me for my relative promiscuity. I don't see an issue with it.  
Lysandre looks even more nervous now. His head is tilted to the side, and he looks absolutely ridiculous. Cute. However, he also looks incredibly confused. I blink, trying to wrap my head around what he was effectively communicating with this. "Wait- you aren't telling me that you are, are you?" I can't believe it, and refuse to. Nope, this has got to be some excuse. Surely... I study his face, and it strikes me. He's telling me the truth. "You are completely serious..."  
He pulls completely away now, his head turned completely away from me. I blink, amazed. I would have never guessed that, he is so handsome. Strong, tall, confident. Charismatic as well, everyone stops to listen when he speaks. How could he not have had people falling for him at every corner? He sure has me wrapped around his finger. I've wholly fallen under his charm. Is he not aware of that? How could he possibly be...  
"Why? Waiting for the right one, or something equally 'noble'?" I know for sure he doesn't want me now. I should have known, he was raised in old money, his family followed old values. Of course he didn't want me. He'd probably had it drilled in his head since birth to get married, to raise heirs to the name.  
"No. I just... never wanted it." He words, carefully. I feel as if I'd insulted him with my question. He's running away, willing himself somewhere else. This is all my fault. I should have left this as-was. Then, neither of us would feel this way.  
Well, this is as good a reason to refuse this gratification for myself. I realize now, that he possibly hadn't felt any attraction at all towards me, in that manner. I faintly wonder why he allowed me advances in the first place. I allow myself to fall back onto the mattress from my sitting position, laying on my back. I can hear Lisle purring up a storm at the foot of the bed, but I'm staring at the ceiling.  
"Would it make you happy?" His voice is soft. Not this again...  
He's been completely truthful to me, so I decide to be transparent with him. "That doesn't matter, your companionship is more important to me, and I will not make you uncomfortable for my sake." I nod. Taking the high-road. I don't want him to make himself uncomfortable for me. That would be unfair to both of us, I don't want that from someone that doesn't also want it. Regardless of my feelings. I don't want to lose what is possibly my only actual friend. I have no idea what I was thinking, bringing him here. I'd thought it was the next logical step- we'd spent many nights before.  
It's great to be held, by someone who doesn't have an ulterior motive the entire time. He's so...  
Innocent?  
I hate using that term for such a man. He's powerful, he takes down other companies and adds them to his roster. He manages a cafe' for fun, he heads his own laboratory- makes his own discoveries. He's always bending himself to help people and pokemon alike. People listen to him when he speaks. He's strong. But Innocent. A bleeding heart. It doesn't even make sense to me, that someone in his situation would be like this. It doesn't add up.  
I'm far from Innocent, and infinitely less than him in every aspect. How is it fair that he is so many wonderful things, and I'm the worst of all of it? I can't even raise pokemon correctly, things that tons of children learn to do every day. I'm no good at battling- there's no reason to fight. That's why I've become a Professor so early, instead of climbing as far as I could up the chain trainer-wise. Because I'm no good.  
He's a great man, and I'm a failure. I have no idea why he's dealt with me this long.  
"Disregard that. Would it make you happy?" He's smiling. I close my eyes. Don't tempt me, Lysandre. It's cruel, and I'd like to ignore the fact that it wouldn't make you happy to be with me like that.  
"Not if it makes you unhappy." I'm curt.  
Suddenly, there is warmth above me, close to my chest. I feel breath on my cheek. "Augustine... Would it make you happy." His voice is gentle and calming. Beckoning. "If you are happy, then I am happy." He's close, his lips brushing my cheek. Why? Why Lysandre? Why torture me? I'm blushing now, struggling to keep my eyes closed, a light flutter in my chest. The flutter is too much, and I open my eyes. Tears. Great, now I look weak. That's all I need in this situation.  
He stands, his height amazing, he looks so tall and powerful, flying like Yveltal. He turns, his face blank. The destruction pokemon. I shake. I wonder if I am like Xerneas, hiding in the trees, a flickering spirit. He turns out the light, and it's easy to liken it to the Dark Aura in the stories. I'm silent, my heart beating hard, rapping against my rib-cage. Just what does he think he's doing? I can't see, my eyes taking a moment to adjust. I can hear the rustling of clothes. However, I feel too cold to say anything. Instead, I wait. Lisle is warm at the foot of the bed, of course. Fire types are always that way. Lisle is always near Lysandre, but I find it a bit odd that he's keeping him out right now...  
"Lysandre?" I finally muster up, a short moment after the rustling has stopped. I can feel a weight at the side of the bed, and his hand is suddenly next to mine. I take it. He's warm.  
"Augustine..." He seems to lose his words for a moment, and I hear him close his mouth, swallowing. "You'll have to teach me." I blink, sitting up.  
"You don't have to- Don't feel obligated to-"  
He presses a finger to my lips for a moment. "Just because I don't have any particular drive to do this doesn't mean I don't want to." I blink. It's a bit difficult for me to understand. Drive? Want... Wait-  
I get it now. "You're... Asexual?" I'd have never guessed. I'm very sorry I put him on the spot, I should have asked explicitly. I can't believe I hadn't considered this before. I feel absolutely terrible for not thinking of it.  
He seems to consider it, quietly. "I don't care for terminology- and I'm unsure if that even fits. I don't give much thought to it." He dismisses it, doesn't seem to care at all. "However, you've made me incredibly happy, you are a wonderful person, and if I give that to anyone, it's going to be you." I pull in a breath. I can't make him do this, I absolutely refuse.  
"Lysandre, I won't allow... I mean- if you don't want it, why would you... I mean..." I'm unsure what to say now. Any way I turn I feel as if I will hurt him. "I mean, I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I don't want it to be like that."  
He shakes his head, and chuckles. "You're thinking about it wrong, Augustine." He's so pure. "Think of the feelings, not the action itself. Sure, I'm not interested in the action. However, you are. It will mean something to you, I'm sure. People attach sentiment to these things." He waits a moment, still at the side of the bed, leaning forward. He seems nervous, but with Lisle's purr and the darkness, I'm sure he is getting more brave by the second. He's opening up, if only for now. "I feel connected simply by being with you. Around you. Talking to you, across the desk. Conversing in public, over coffee. However, the way I see it... You need that feeling from something else."  
He's a genius. I've never heard it put that way before. He has a silver tongue, and he's brandished it well. I swallow. "But you'll feel awkward."  
He tuts under his breath, and I feel him raise up, and sit on the bed. "I'll feel awkward now, and probably always will. But it will mean a lot to me if you let me sate that want for you." He turns around, and now that my eyes have gotten used to the little bit of moonlight pouring in from the closed blinds, I can see that his chest is bare. His back is smooth. I turn my body towards him.  
"I want to make a deal with you, Augustine."  
I blink, breathing slowly. "What do you have in mind?" I can't imagine what he is talking about now, but his voice is terribly beautiful- nearly frightening in it's soft tenor. So different from normal. He's making a request.  
"If this happens... I don't want you to look for it anywhere else." His voice is uneven for a moment.  
At first, I don't really understand this. What does he mean? Wait- oh. He wants this to be between us. I blush lightly. I don't think I've ever been in an exclusive relationship... Or maybe a relationship at all? Depending on how you look at it. The implications of his terms hits me only a moment later. What is this relationship? What exactly are we? I'm unsure if I've ever felt like this, exactly, before. I try not to get attached to people. No one is ever interested in staying. They get what they want, on both ends, and then the deal is over.  
I'll have to give up a lot for this, and I don't even know what THIS is exactly. I may never know. He turns toward me, his eyes glinting in the light. They are half-lidded, unfocused, as if he isn't looking at me. Not seeing me at all. Instead, he's sensing me. I'm sure of it. He's feeling my general direction, but he's looking into some deep part of me that I hadn't known about before.  
It feels correct. I'll have to walk the straight and narrow from now on, but there is something about Lysandre that makes it fine. He's different. He makes me feel- instead of assume I want. I swallow. I'll promise. "I'll take no one else, until you get tired of me." His eyes are opened wider now, his head tilted. I'm unsure if he understands what I'm giving up for this. Because he's different. He's the only person I've actually cared about that I've ever came to about... This.  
"Get tired of you?" He doesn't understand what I'm saying.  
"Until you... Decide that you're done. With me." I feel awkward, showing my fear to him.  
He sighs, and pulls closer to me, lifting my chin up to look me in the eyes. I glance down, unable to keep the eye contact. "Augustine. You are an amazing person, people covet you... You are the top in your field, a Professor. People look up to you. Children line up at the lab doors to get a starter from you. You have no reason to be afraid that I'll do that. We've been friends for how long now?" He's quiet for a moment. "You are a great person." He continues. "Far better than others. You are kind and full of good will. You make the right decisions, you know your limits. I respect you. You are one of the very few Good and Beautiful people in this imperfect world. Some day, I'll make it perfect for you." He's completely gone now, talking out of his head. However, it's calming. "Until then, at least, Augustine, feel free to take what I can give you. I want you to be happy."  
I sit still, and lean forward. He closes the gap, with a light kiss. He's not shaking. That's different. Abnormal. I'm going to savor this. After a few moments, we part, and he asks. "So, if you are interested... Teach me." Now he's nervous again, I can tell by his uneasy shifting.  
I'm quiet for a moment. How exactly do I go about this? At first, I was so sure... Now, I'm not quite sure what would be the best course of action to take. I know that the nature of what he's asking is opening the doors of a mansion long shut, but instead of checking everything out, I'm carefully closing doors that will make him uncomfortable. "Lysandre, promise me you'll tell me if something is uncomfortable, okay?"  
He nods. Steeling his resolve. I shake my head. Why does he do this to me?  
"Bon..." I whisper, picking myself up, pulling myself closer to him. "Now, will you..." I take his hands, pulling them to my shirt. Buttons run down the front of it. He touches each one lightly, for just a moment, undoing each one. He pulls my jacket off of me, and turns away. I'm curious, so I lean forward. He's folding it. I don't have the heart to ask why. I'm sure he's simply busying his hands. He turns back towards me after stacking it neatly on my dresser, and pulls the shirt off as well, folding it and stacking it carefully. Then, he sits there, a bit too quietly.  
"Now... would you mind if I touched you?" I ask, gently. He tenses, and I glance away. "Not, anywhere... Like that- no. You know, like a hug?" He tilts his head, and nods once, stiffly. I wrap my arms around him, and for a moment, my chest is pressed against his. He's warm, and surprisingly soft. Then again, he was born in money. He's probably not seen much of anything that would mar his skin here. It shouldn't be surprising. He seems shocked by my chest, or perhaps of my proximity. I let go for a moment, and wait. He breathes out. "Are you okay?"  
He nods again. "That... That was nice." He's quiet again.  
"Anything that bothers you?" I ask, gently.  
"No. Not at all. I'm not used to people being that close." He admits, and I nod. How are we going to get through this? He seems eager enough, though I'm still not exactly sure how we are going to leap this particular hurdle.  
"We can wait- do this some other time... Rest tonight?" I offer, nervously.  
He shakes his head. "I can do it now, don't put it off for me. We might not get another chance to... educate me. We're both always busy." He chooses the last words with a picky search.  
I sigh. "Okay Lysandre. Just remember that you can refuse any of this. Anything, for any reason." He nods, and I pull him close to me again, stretching up to him so that I can put my cheek against his. Warmth. This part isn't foreign. We've done this before. He's more steady now, so I press against him, and wait for a moment. After a few moments, he's chuckling. "Alright. Now, you first, because I'm not going to make you uncomfortable right now, okay?" I say, and then take his hands. He's still got that ring on... Does he ever take it off? I don't think I've ever seen him take it off, in fact.  
I place his hands on my chest, and stay still, ready to swallow any noise. "Now... Feel free to touch me." He's trembling, his hands shaking, but he moves them over my chest, my shoulders, over my back, down my sides. I'm silent, perfectly silent. Then, he runs a hand across the front of my stomach, between my side and belly. I whimper, unable to swallow the noise. He tilts his head again. "Was that incorrect?" His hands have been pulled hastily back to him.  
I shake my head, unable to suppress a chuckle. "No- that was great. I'm sorry, I couldn't-"  
"Don't be sorry." He says, cutting me off. His hands are back now. I smile, now, less nervous. I allow myself to loosen up a bit, and lean my forehead on his shoulder as he figures me out. He cuddles me close. Perfect, just perfect. "Magnifique."  
He chuckles at my word. "Magnificent indeed." It's become a joke between us.  
After a few more slow minutes, I pull back really gently, and ask, "Is there anything at all I can do to make this easier for you?"  
He thinks for a moment. "No- I'm not ready for you to... To do anything like that for me. I don't know when I will be, either." He glances into my eyes again, a little bit of nervousness there.  
I nod. "It will be odd. I'm not used to not doing that for the other party... But I understand." Then, we sit companionably for a few moments. I'm still unsure what this is exactly. I like labels, I like knowing the names of things. Names made things real, made them concrete. Like pokemon species, or experiment steps, or technology. This seems ethereal, and dangerous. I'm not ready to dive into the emotional pool to sort things out yet, but this is different. "So, do you think you are ready for more?"  
He nods. "Show me how to make you happy, Augustine."  
"You make me happy all the time, Lysandre." I voice. I'm sure that's not what he means, though.  
He grins. It's not often that he grins. "Well, then show me how to please you."  
Well, that's not much better, but it's a start.  
And with that, I do.  
***  
Afterwards, he lays against me, his belly touching my back. He fussed over me for a bit, but he's calm now. Nothing went too terribly wrong, though I'm still shocked that he is so innocent. However, there is something very fulfilling about being held afterwards. He's curled around me, and it's calming to be surrounded like this. He's quiet now, but I know he's awake. Lisle is sleeping at his feet, making strange Pyroar snoring noises.  
"Thank you." I whisper, and he nods against my back. I'm quiet again for a moment longer. It is at this point I realize now something that strikes very close to my heart. Lysandre fills a hole somewhere in my heart that I was unsure if I'd ever be able to find a filling for. I'm still unsure what this is, which makes the feeling very peculiar. I can't understand it fully. I feel like asking him, but I decide not to.  
He begins to speak, his voice a bit velveteen with sleepiness. "Augustine, what do you think is beautiful in life?"  
"Beautiful?" I ask, curiously. I hum for a moment, and whisper. "This. I don't know what this is, but this." We are both quite for a moment, allowing my words to settle. "Pokemon. They are incredibly beautiful, artistic. Their battling is beautiful, even in it's violence. Their bonds with humans. Bonds in general." After this, I smile. "Passion. Things that people care a lot about, that they'll put their most prized possessions, feelings, and ideals on the line to accomplish."  
He nods, again. "I agree. It hurts me to see the lack of bonds, the lack of passion, people hurting each-other in greed. Greedy people are trash."  
I ponder this for a moment, and lace my fingers in his. "Sounds like you have a passion there."  
"I want to make the world beautiful." He whispers, his lips to my back.  
I contemplate this. "It would take a lot of work, and everyone has to do their part. There is always going to be some soiled corner, nothing is perfect. It's the big picture that counts, Lysandre." My words bring to mind a tapestry, beautiful and filled with vibrant colors and ideas, with soiled truth at the edges. Lysandre is snoring softly now, and I chuckle.  
"Bonne nuit-" It occurs to me that I was about to say Mon Amour. How could I say that? Do I love him? What if that changes everything? I swallow the phrase. I can't live like this forever, every moment swallowing the phrase, but I wish I can. He makes me feel less like a failure, and I don't want to lose that. I feel like I am something to someone. Even if I don't know what that something is.  
I doze off.  
The alarm clock goes off, and it's Eight in the morning. Lysandre is stirring, and I can feel his heart beating quickly through his chest, and my back.  
My holocaster is buzzing, so I pick it up. Who could be calling at this hour? I let it miss, so that it will record the message, so that I won't be seen as I watch it. Lysandre is silent behind me. "Ah, it's Maya. I wonder what she wants to tell me this morning? Probably going to tease me."  
I press replay, and her voice sounds horrified. Her lip is trembling, her eyes are swollen and puffy. "August, August... We are in town. But not to visit- you have to come by the hospital. It's... It's Daeos. He's had a stroke. It's... Not good. Whenever you wake up, you need to come... Come say your goodbyes."  
I gasp, and Lysandre holds me tighter.  
Eight-o'-Clock. And don't be late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs Listened To During the Writing of This Chapter:  
> 1\. So Cold (But You're Not Mine) by Evans Blue  
> 2\. Can You Save Me by Hoobastank  
> 3\. The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars
> 
> -Never mind, this is the longest chapter so far. 11,000-ish words.  
> -Lacie is a hilarious character, so smart, but so uneducated sounding. She actually has a terribly sad backstory, but I decided not to clog the story with it. (Unova is a terrible place.)  
> -This was fun. Now to start having exciting things happening.  
> -Spectrum time.  
> -This chapter made me cry.  
> *What, no Lysandre's POV? PREPOSTEROUS! I tried to crawl a bit out of my comfort zone here.  
> **Also, we are going to have one other non-Lysandre/Sycamore POV piece fairly soon, and it won't be Jake's POV.


End file.
